California Job Challenge officially opens new building
Program has a place to call home three years after inaugural class
Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman
California National Guard Public Affairs
May 25, 2022
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Years of renovation work were marked complete, May 2, as California Job Challenge held a ribbon cutting ceremony to open its facility on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
As an in-residence career technical education program for graduates of other National Guard Youth Challenge Programs in California, the California Job Challenge building includes male and female dormitories capable of housing 40 students each, laundry facilities, a computer lab, recreation area, and classroom for students completing their high school educations through dual-enrollment at Long Beach City College and the Orange County Department of Education’s College and Career Preparatory Academy.
“To see this is truly a miracle,“ said California State Guard Brig. Gen. Peter Cross, who commands the California Military Department’s Task Force Torch for youth and community programs.
The renovation project started five years ago when California Job Challenge was in the planning phase and existed only on paper. Construction was underway when the academy officially began in July 2019 and hired its first wave of staff members.
The dated former U.S. Marine Corps building was rebuilt from the studs in order to bring it up to current code standards and provide state-of-the art heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, alarm and security systems, intercoms and more. The project was completed through an $18 million federal investment along with a $4.5 million state match.
Infrastructure improvement is an ongoing priority for U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, adjutant general of the California Military Department, and a modernized Job Challenge building paves the way for the young program to continue shaping futures.
“With this building, we can easily grow,“ said U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan, who directs Job Challenge and has worked within the National Guard Youth Challenge Program for 15 years.
Job Challenge currently serves around 75 students per cycle, he said, and the new building gives the program a foundation to double its current size.
“We’ll have the ability to grow and add more pathways to enhance and enrich the curriculum,” Sullivan said. “More students will have more options to benefit the workforce long term and have better opportunities for placement.”
“More students will have more options to benefit the workforce long term and have better opportunities for placement.”
Founded in 2019 as a partnership between the National Guard and the U.S. Department of Labor, California Job Challenge serves as an additional way to connect formerly at-risk youth with skills and professional certifications in high-demand career fields such as automotive technology, certified nursing assistant, construction, welding, cyber technology.
The goal of the program is to prepare 17.5 - 21 students for living wage jobs while providing a no-cost place for them to live and study to reduce distractions and better student success in the classroom. Upon completion of a three-to-six month career training curriculum, Job Challenge advocates for graduates and works to connect them with employment opportunities throughout the state.
Cross said the program benefits students and taxpayers alike.
“It teaches young men and women skills, who then are hired by companies and they pay taxes to pay for the very program that trained them for their jobs,” Cross said.
Nearly 250 California students have graduated from the program since its inception. More than 770 professional certifications and 60 high school diplomas have been awarded in three years.
California Job Challenge is currently hosting its sixth class of students and recruiting for its seventh.
Members of the California Job Challenge Class 5 color guard present the colors, May 2, during a ribbon cutting for the program's building on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
Members of the California Job Challenge Class 5 color guard present the colors, May 2, during a ribbon cutting for the program's building on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
California Job Challenge is a career technical education program that serves as an optional follow-on program for graduates of California's three National Guard Youth Challenge academies.
California Job Challenge is a career technical education program that serves as an optional follow-on program for graduates of California's three National Guard Youth Challenge academies.
U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan, right, director of California Job Challenge, welcomes California State Guard Brig. Gen. Peter Cross, commander of the California Military Department's Task Force Torch, to the microphone during a ribbon cutting ceremony, May 2.
U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan, right, director of California Job Challenge, welcomes California State Guard Brig. Gen. Peter Cross, commander of the California Military Department's Task Force Torch, to the microphone during a ribbon cutting ceremony, May 2.
Giovanna Malagon and classmates in the California Job Challenge Class 5 listen to speakers' remarks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the program's new building.
Giovanna Malagon and classmates in the California Job Challenge Class 5 listen to speakers' remarks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the program's new building.
California State Guard Brig. Gen. Peter Cross, left, California Job Challenge Class 5 Scholar First Last, and U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan cut a ceremonial ribbon on the steps of the California Job Challenge building.
California State Guard Brig. Gen. Peter Cross, left, California Job Challenge Class 5 Scholar First Last, and U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan cut a ceremonial ribbon on the steps of the California Job Challenge building.
U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan leads community members on a tour inside the California Job Challenge building after a ribbon cutting ceremony. This room is used for evening high school classes through the College and Career Preparatory Academy.
U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Alan Sullivan leads community members on a tour inside the California Job Challenge building after a ribbon cutting ceremony. This room is used for evening high school classes through the College and Career Preparatory Academy.
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