ConnectLA is an innovative, new community-centered
program designed to help people gain access
to information about employment opportunities
and community services. An interactive multimedia
system of video, audio and text information,
ConnectLA provides residents of low-income
communities with information on employment,
health and local government through a network
of community computer centers. ConnectLA
is a model of how technology can be used
to initiate and support community revitalization
and economic development in low-income communities.
Through ConnectLA, job seekers are able
to search for employment opportunities from
a variety of employers as well as get information
on community support services that address
obstacles to getting the job (i.e. childcare
services, transportation, job training,
etc.). ConnectLA also allows local employers
to advertise their employment opportunities
by either posting the positions directly
to the site using a remote updating system
or with support from ConnectLA staff. We
hope that this process will allow small
local employers to have free marketing of
available jobs and encourage local economic
development.
ConnectLA is different from any of the
job sites that you have seen in the Internet
in that:
- The target users of the system are low
and moderate income individuals.
- The system will feature a variety of
jobs, with particular focus on entry-level
and semi-skilled positions.
- The system will feature local employment
opportunities, focusing solely on Los
Angeles County.
- ConnectLA will provide information
on resume writing, interview skills and
dressing for success.
- The site has a "user-friendly"
design which makes it easy for the new
computer user to navigate through the
site.
- The sites will be multicultural in its
graphic design and multilingual, reflecting
the communities that the site will serve.
Parent Organization
ConnectLA is a project of the Los Angeles
based Center for Governmental Studies, a
non-profit research organization which works
to improve the processes of media and governance.
Over the past 8 years, the Center has been
instrumental in establishing other innovative
multimedia programs, including The California
Channel, the nation’s first "state
C-SPAN", now available to 5 million
California homes and The Democracy Network,
an interactive on-line system of political
information, education, participation and
communication. |
