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CAREERS CHANGE LIVES

We help underserved Californians—like veterans, youth, refugees—turn job struggles into success. Offering free job training & placement, mentoring, coaching & more so communities can thrive.

We are building better lives, one job at a time, by empowering individuals to achieve sustainable employment and financial independence.

Veteran Services

We assist all military Veterans with a special focus on women veterans and post-9/11 veterans by providing professional career coaching, assessments to identify transferable skills, training in high growth career sectors, plus job search skills and job placement assistance.

No cost career training programs

Launch your professional career in the growing banking, healthcare and apartment management industries. In partnership with local and national employers, our career training programs – ImagingWorks, BankWork$, HealthWorks, ApartmentWorks and CareerWork$ Medical – prepare graduates for their first step on a career ladder that offers extraordinary potential. Class sizes are limited. Apply now!

Job & WorkSource Centers

We partner with LA City & County to operate several America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) / WorkSource Centers, where we provide employment and training services to job seekers at no cost.

We connect job seekers to employers and trainers and provide access to Veteran transition services, a career resource library, workshops, on-site interviews with local employers, job leads, resource referrals and access to computers and other office equipment.

Scholarship Program

In partnership with private donors, the JVS Scholarship Program provides qualified Jewish students whose primary residence is in the Greater Los Angeles area with need-based financial aid, in the belief that education represents the first step to career success. The JVS Scholarship has distributed over $14.3 million to more than 6,200 students.

Mentoring for Women

Our innovative six-month career development program offers women with defined career objectives the unique opportunity to be paired with a mentor who has an established career in the participant’s chosen field.

IMMIGRANTS and REFUGEES

Since 1931, JVS SoCal has helped immigrants and refugees from around the world. From German and Shanghai immigrants at the end of WWII to Cuban refugees in the 1970’s and Soviet Jews in the 1980’s, followed by Cambodians, Vietnamese and those impacted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, we assist refugees and their families from all over the world, including Ukraine, Iran, Armenia, Cuba and elsewhere.

Refugee Employment Los Angeles County

Ezra Network

The Ezra Network is an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles in partnership with JVS SoCal, offering career coaching, job search and placement support and is located in various synagogues in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and the South Bay.

Disability & Assessment

JVS SoCal’s Grossblatt Skills Assessment Center is the only facility in Southern California offering full job skills evaluation services to individuals who are blind and visually impaired and is accredited by CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

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LATEST UPDATES

Stories from an innovative non-profit and the people who make it work.

  • Air Force Veteran finds career success through JVS SoCal

    After serving nearly five years in the U.S. Air Force as a mechanic, Thomas Ramirez faced the same question many veterans do: What’s next? With valuable experience in high-pressure environments and a degree in architecture, Thomas had a diverse skill set. Yet, he struggled to find a civilian career that could merge his technical and…

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  • Refugee acculturation program helps Ukrainian mother start childcare business 

    Note: The name of this program participant has been changed to maintain anonymity.  When Sofia arrived in the United States with her 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter, she brought with her a wealth of experience in early childhood education.   As she navigated the challenges of establishing a new life in Los Angeles while caring for…

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  • BankWork$ opens door for graduate’s path to becoming a mortgage loan officer 

    Before enrolling in the JVS SoCal’s BankWork$ program, Angel Mendoza was juggling various jobs while studying for the NMLS exam to become a mortgage loan officer.  Driven by a strong sense of purpose, Angel’s long-term goal was clear: “I want to represent the unrepresented when it comes to housing.” She viewed access to housing as…

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  • CareerWork$ Medical plotted a new course for former flight attendant 

    When Tyler Bonilla signed up for JVS SoCal’s CareerWork$ Medical, he left behind a job as a concierge in a luxury hotel in Los Angeles. Previously, he was a flight attendant for seven years.  “I’m transitioning into healthcare for long-term career growth,” says Tyler who didn’t see advancement in either job. “I’d like to make this…

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  • JVS SoCal Awards Nearly 1M in need-based scholarships to Jewish students from across Los Angeles 

    JVS SoCal, a leading human services agency focused on workforce development, presented scholarships to 237 Jewish students at an award ceremony held at Sinai Temple on July 24. This year the scholarships ranged from $2,000 to $10,000, for a total of $950,000.  The Scholarship Program provides a bridge of opportunity for Jewish students affected by…

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  • Video game designer finds support in L.A. women focused career program 

    Meradi Agran is a video game designer, a role generally associated with men. Thanks to JVS SoCal and the Women’s Leadership Network she has been able to hone her craft and have the tools to advance in her career.  Through the WoMentoring program, Meradi partnered with JC Lau, a senior video game producer who helps…

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