Opportunities Industrialization Centers America

Applications are being accepted at the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America's new training center at 11100 S. Western Ave. The $1.3-million center, which opened last month, will offer classes in retail sales, office and occupational training, and culinary training. Classes are free to those who qualify as low-income applicants and unemployed applicants.

A $750,000 federal grant has been awarded to the Opportunities Industrialization Center to help pay for employment training and development services for dislocated workers, the long-term unemployed and other residents of neighborhoods hit by the 1992 riots. The center, at 11100 S. Western Ave., was awarded the grant this month from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Civic and corporate leaders are expected to announce plans today for creating the largest job-training center of its kind in the West for residents of areas torn by the Los Angeles riots. The center, which planners hope will train 5,000 people in four years with the support of major corporations, will be run by Opportunities Industrialization Centers/America (OIC), a 28-year-old Philadelphia-based organization that has more than 70 facilities in the United States. Chevron Corp.

Applications are being accepted at the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America's new training center at 11100 S. Western Ave. The $1.3-million center, which opened last month, will offer classes in retail sales, office and occupational training, and culinary training. Classes are free to those who qualify as low-income applicants and unemployed applicants.

A $750,000 federal grant has been awarded to the Opportunities Industrialization Center to help pay for employment training and development services for dislocated workers, the long-term unemployed and other residents of neighborhoods hit by the 1992 riots. The center, at 11100 S. Western Ave., was awarded the grant this month from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Wanted: more jobs in urban communities, and more well-trained employees who can fill them. Creating thousands of jobs in private businesses won't be easy given the dismal economic climate in California. Government help is limited by looming federal deficits, swollen state mandates and local budget shortfalls. However, a mix of public and private strategies--economic, social and political--could lead incrementally to a sustained urban renaissance in Los Angeles.

For some time, The Times has tried to denigrate the achievements of Rebuild L.A. As RLA continues its efforts to attract private investment to Los Angeles' low-income communities, The Times has taken every opportunity to feature naysayers who have not offered any constructive programs to help the rebuilding process. RLA's mission is straightforward: bringing business opportunities into economically depressed areas. RLA's efforts can be complemented by other programs with different objectives.

Civic and corporate leaders are expected to announce plans today for creating the largest job-training center of its kind in the West for residents of areas torn by the Los Angeles riots. The center, which planners hope will train 5,000 people in four years with the support of major corporations, will be run by Opportunities Industrialization Centers/America (OIC), a 28-year-old Philadelphia-based organization that has more than 70 facilities in the United States. Chevron Corp.