Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services (PVJOBS) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that provides career-track employment opportunities for at-risk youth, adults, and veterans in construction and related industries.
PVJOBS delivers comprehensive employment preparation, hosts several pre-apprenticeship training programs that yield industry-recognized certifications, runs the YouthBuild Program, and supports graduates’ job placement. PVJOBS secures most employment opportunities from local, union affiliated construction projects that pay living wages and provide health insurance benefits. In addition, the Jobs Coordinator Program works directly with contractors to develop hiring pathways that fulfill targeted worker requirements, including project labor agreements, local hire targets, and disadvantaged hiring mandates.
The mix of direct services and jobs coordination allows PVJOBS to contract with major development projects across Los Angeles, place trainees in paid employment, and meaningfully impact the local economy.
How PVJOBS Grew Strategically through CA RISE
The funding, capacity building, and connections provided throughout the CA RISE program helped PVJOBS strengthen its internal operations and capacity, clarify the value of their Job Coordinator Services model to public-sector partners, and deepen relationships with public-sector partners. Specifically, CA RISE has allowed PVJOBS to:
Invested in Employees
Increased staff from 18 to 28.
Employee wages increased from $411,840 to $425,000.
Expanded pre-apprenticeship programs to the private sector and new regions such as San Diego and the Inland Empire, thus generating revenue and providing more training capacity.
Strengthened Public-Sector Partnerships
CA RISE helped PVJOBS deepen relationships with key government agencies and strengthen the systems needed to collaborate on major public-workforce initiatives.
Deepened public-sector partnerships with AJCCs, CA EDD, Probation, LAUSD, and Metro.
Clarified the value proposition of the Job Coordinator Services model for populations that are prioritized by public-sector partners (e.g., justice-involved individuals, opportunity
youth).
Leveraged CA RISE technical assistance to improve data collection and reporting systems to comply with government standards.
Scaled Business Offerings and Diversified Revenue Streams
Expanded the Jobs Coordinating Social Enterprise Service to new regions to connect employers with trained construction workers while also bringing in sustainable funds.
Opened a new business line, the Media Pathway Program, focused on video production and content creation to support the Reentry Network Podcast.
87%
employee retention rate
8000+
placements on major infrastructure projects in Los Angeles
52%
reduction in recidivism rate from state average
Why PVJOBS’s Success Matters
Secures stable, career-track jobs for people with barriers to employment
PVJOBS has a 70% job-placement rate and an 87% employee retention rate. The PVJOBS model for developing and coordinating employment opportunities
has led to more than 8,000 placements on major infrastructure projects in Los Angeles.
Provides skilled labor for critical infrastructure projects across Los Angeles
PVJOBS crews have contributed to projects all across the region, including housing, electric vehicle infrastructure, transit expansion, and climate resilience projects.
Fuels the regional economy
PVJOBS directly contributes to California’s $75.4 billion construction and materials industry, generating increased consumer spending and vital tax revenue for local communities.
Reduces recidivism
PVJOBS maintains a 20% recidivism rate among its graduates, compared to the CA average of 42% recidivism within 3 years of release.
The PVJOBS model has been successfully adapted across North America in Quebec, Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Baltimore.
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