$500,000 Earmarked for 2 Job-Training Programs

Two San Fernando Valley job-training programs have been selected to receive funds from a project being developed by the educational arm of the Israeli Labor Party and California civic leaders, the project’s leaders announced.

But the agencies are not likely to receive any money for another two years, said the project’s co-chairmen, Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda) and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).

The project, called Training Our Youth (TRY), plans to raise $2 million from private sources, Katz announced Tuesday in Sacramento.

Of that, $250,000 will go to each of two Van Nuys-based organizations, Project Heavy and El Proyecto del Barrio. Another $500,000 will go to a job-training program in San Francisco, Katz said.

The other $1 million will go to a job-training program in Israel, said Carol Kracer, western regional director of the National Committee for Labor Israel-Histadru, which was formed by Israel’s Labor Party. The California program is modeled after a two-year effort in New York, she said.

‘Proven Track Records’

Katz said funds for the Valley programs will help them serve 1,000 more youths. The programs were selected because of their “proven track records,” he said.

Project Heavy, created in 1975 to combat juvenile delinquency and gang problems, is best known for its graffiti-elimination projects. It has training programs in electronics, cable-television installation, and auto and office-machine repair. About 300 youths are enrolled yearly, but 200 to 300 others are turned away because of lack of funds, said Rick Ventri, Project Heavy’s executive director.

El Proyecto del Barrio’s employment and training center was founded in 1977 and specializes in work with recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, and in English language classes, said Joe Dominic, executive director.

Both programs are now financed solely by the City of Los Angeles’ Job Training Partnership Act.