Salinas Valley Five Cities
Commitment, Connection & Championing Community
Formed in 2016, the Salinas Valley Five Cities is a partnership comprised of economic development leaders from the Cities of Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City with Hartnell College serving as the intermediary organization.
The partnership supports the leadership and the vision for the region, serving as a convener of community, education, industry and local government in order to connect workforce development efforts. The scope of work focuses on furthering collective impact through the core tenets of Equity, Collaboration, Mentorship, Apprenticeship, Internships and related impact areas.
Our Mission
The Five Cities partnership of the Salinas Valley Workforce Development Intermediary Advisory Board focuses on economic recovery and resiliency.
Our Vision
The Five Cities will respond to economic recovery and resiliency: Broadband Expansion, Learning Impact and Recovery and Mental/emotional well-being, partners to ensure College and or Career Readiness of K12 and K14 students, champions and prioritizes educational attainment, cultivates social, emotional, and transferable skills for all, in order to strengthen our communities and invigorate the economy of the Salinas Valley.
Rising
Collective Impact Goals:
Long-term & Micro (short-term) | |||
Apprenticeships Internships | 340 | 445 | 445 |
Workforce, Education, Economic Development: focused on short-term & longer term workforce training needs |
Mentorship
The Modern Life Skills Mentorship program focuses on serving first generation immigrant youth of middle school age living in rural communities around Five Key Success Elements and with a mentorship team:
1) Social/Emotional well-being; 2) Money Management; 3) Career Readiness (including Exploration, Pre-Employment Skills Development, Connection to in-demand and middle wage regional industry/career opportunities; 4) Civic Engagement Training and Leadership Development and 5) Academic Success.
Participants will develop a success plan and embark on work-based learning experiences to support their long-term personal and career development goals.
Founding Partners: Hartnell College Foundation, Hartnell College, Monterey County Workforce Development Board and the County of Santa Cruz Human Services and Workforce Development Board in 2020. The team embarked on a human-centered design process to engage youth & their families, community-based organizations, and education to develop a solution to local challenges.
Core Implementation Partners: Center for Community Advocacy, Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance and Partners for Peace.
Supporting Partners: Caring Connections Network and Advisory Council, and the Hartnell College Foundation serving as the backbone agency supporting the partnership.
The Modern Life Skills Mentorship program is humbly funded by the James Irvine Foundation, the Wallace Foundation and the Salinas Valley Five Cities partnership.
Our Board Members
City Manager
Greenfield
City Manager
Soledad
City Manager
King City
Asst. Director of Community Development, Salinas
City Manager
Gonzales