State Superintendent education Web site speech

State Supt. Jack O'Connell

Direct Connect Press Conference

Verdugo Jobs Center, Glendale

February 27, 2009

"I'd like to start by thanking our hosts, the Verdugo jobs center, and also the center's manager Judith sERNAS and Karine Grigoryan, program supervisor at the Glendale youth alliance, for joining us today.

As you're all undoubtedly aware, both California's and the nation's economies are hurting right now.

And without question, the growing unemployment that has resulted is seriously disrupting the family lives of our K-12 students preventing them from being fully engaged in their education.

Many of California's citizens are looking for jobs and career opportunities, not knowing what is available or even where to start looking for assistance. 

Many people are looking to upgrade their skills, return to school, and may need financial aid. 

Those adults wanting to change careers may not know what careers are available and how to go about seeking the necessary education and training.

Homelessness is also growing throughout California as many people grapple with foreclosures and stagnant credit, again adding instability to our students.

Our regional occupational centers, adult education programs and community colleges are experiencing large increases of student enrollments at the same time that they are encountering serious funding reductions. These programs will be faced with reducing the educational programs for our high school students and adult students at a time when many of our residents are seeking to upgrade their academic and career knowledge and skills.

Given these many challenges facing our state, I believe it is important for the California department of education to bring all of the expertise and resources together to respond to these conditions and to help our citizens during these difficult times. 

Therefore, we have developed a one-stop location, a Web site that any Californian looking for assistance can access to find the help and resources they need to move to economic self-sufficiency; its called California direct connect - links to your future the Web site address is www.cde.ca.gov/re/dc 

There are, in fact, many public programs and resources available for our citizens. unfortunately, these services are often very hard for the most people to find, but California direct connect brings the best options into a central location. 

It is formatted with easy and common questions heard daily by staff at my department and our school counselors and assessment personnel in the field. 

The site is broken into four general groups or themes: finding a job; exploring career opportunities; educational opportunities; and overcoming barriers to work.

For example, under finding a job, there are links to "I want to find a better job," to "I lost my job, how do I file for unemployment?" 

Within exploring career opportunities, one can find a site on "how do you pick the right career path?" to "are there green jobs available?"

The educational opportunities page includes sites to locate help for people that cannot read, want to learn a job skill, or access California's great university systems.

The overcoming barriers to work section helps individuals who may be losing their homes, in need of child care to keep a job, wanting to become a citizen, or even "I am getting out of prison, how do I prepare myself for the labor market?"

This new web site truly is a comprehensive source of information for Californians and I would like to encourage people to take full advantage of this resource.

Times are tough now and it will be some time before they improve, but we must act now.

If we are to overcome the tremendous economic challenges facing us, then we certainly cannot afford to stand idle for even a moment.

Thank you.