March 27, 2008, San Jose, CA –
Competing with the likes of powerhouses Ernst & Young, Booz Allen Hamilton and McKinley Consulting is a little-known workhorse in San Jose called the Workforce Institute, celebrating 20 years of providing needs assessment and customized performance-based training to hundreds of thousands of Silicon Valley workers on April 11, 2008.

While the work of the Workforce Institute doesn’t come with the hefty price tag of more glamorous rivals, it does come with its own heavyweight credentials: the Institute is part of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, which means it can draw from the educational resources of the District’s colleges—Evergreen Valley College and San Jose City College—to pull together training and coaching programs in record time.

“Facilitating projects by using the resources of the District’s two colleges, we can remain flexible, deliver a pedagogically strong product and provide a just-in-time response to our client’s needs,” says.Carol Coen, Executive Director of the Institute. “From start to finish, we’ve pulled projects together in a matter of weeks—something our competitors can’t do as easily.”

In fact, in just nine months, the Institute teamed up with Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center (KPSJMC) to create a state-of-the-art human simulation lab called Center for Medical Simulation (CIMS) right on the Institute’s premises. “Through the Institute, we’re not only grant-funded for the program but we have the opportunity to work with experts in simulation as well as workforce planning,” says Terry Austen, senior vice president and area manager at KPSJMC. The Institute has already begun to train over 400 Kaiser nurses to enhance patient care.

The City of San Jose is a long-term client for whom the Institute provides basic skills training, job counseling, ESL and communication classes. Jeff Ruster, deputy director of the City’s Office of Economic Development and leader of the work2future initiative, credits both Coen and District Chancellor Rosa G. Perez for their visionary ideas. “Rosa has brought an incredible amount of energy, passion, and new thinking, and that has really helped us to succeed as an organization.” Chancellor Perez responds,  “Serving the innovative and progressive business and civic leaders in Silicon Valley is one of our greatest pleasures. Community Colleges are intended to be responsive to them as we contribute to the economic development of our regions.”

During its 20-year history, the Institute has also consulted for IBM, Intel, Selectron, Cupertino Electric, Ford Motor Company, and the County of Santa Clara to help their workforce be more productive. At the 20th Anniversary celebration, which will take place on Friday, April 11, in the courtyard of the Institute’s offices, 600 South Bascom in San Jose, from 4 pm to 6pm, the organization will also unveil its new name: Workforce Institute.

ABOUT IBP
Since 1988 the Workforce Institute has delivered customized workforce solutions in collaboration with Evergreen Valley College and San Jose City College through contracted training programs, professional development classes, and a variety of supportive services to Santa Clara County workforce providers.