Upon its inception, EconAlliance developed a cross-industry, cross-sector Workforce/ Education Initiative to support the key industries and communities of Northern Santa Barbara County. Its first efforts in this Initiative was a joint effort with Northern Santa Barbara County United Way and Allan Hancock College as a partner in the Workforce and Literacy Initiative (WALI) to enhance literacy in Northern Santa Barbara County.

EconAlliance later established STEM INDUSTRY Days, with industry-led STEM workshops for local students. In 2020, EconAlliance produced several STEM-related industry videos (Resource Library videos).

Early in its formation, EconAlliance supported attraction of four-year and advanced degree programs to NSBC. The organization was instrumental in attracting California Lutheran University to offer a master’s degree program in the area.

In 2022, EconAlliance engaged its first Workforce / Education Director, Alejandra Mahoney, to spearhead a new era in EconAlliance Workforce/Education efforts in Northern Santa Barbara County. First was a partnership with the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County to provide 300 hours of computer skill-building in support of computer literacy for residents of a Housing Authority Lompoc apartment complex. Further to this, Mahoney built an EconAlliance partnership with the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board to support the recruitment, placement and monitoring of Workforce Development Board 18-24 year old interns interested in gaining experience in key Northern Santa Barbara County industries and communities.

These EconAlliance efforts are part of a larger re-envisioning of the EconAlliance Workforce /Education Initiative to focus on career awareness, exploration, and career experience in industry. Read More about Internship Program, or see posts below.

The purpose of the North-Start Program is to prevent “brain drain” from target low-moderate-income (LMI) communities, retaining the local talent of LMI young adults by providing them internships and skill-building experience with the potential of leading to career opportunities within their local LMI communities. The 2023 North-Start Program will consist of a minimum of 24 LMI young adults matched for paid internships with companies in target local LMI communities.

The EconAlliance North-Start strategy includes outreach to Low and Middle Income (LMI) young adults 18-24 years old in the communities of Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc in Northern Santa Barbara County. This is designed to acquaint them with paid internship possibilities in local companies within their industry of interest.

This plan includes enlisting local companies within LMI target communities to provide meaningful, career-relevant internships and mentoring. Funding for paid internships is achieved through partnerships with government agencies, foundations, private donors, local companies and other sources.