Bay Area

Recruitment Opens for County Vocational Internships: Career Explorers program designed to assist those aged 15-22

Recruitment has just opened for the Marin County Career Explorer Program, a popular vocational skills internship opportunity for those between the ages of 15 and 22 funded by the Marin County Probation Department. Young people curious about public service careers get a chance to work with County of Marin departments and earn a few bucks while gaining exclusive experience.

Published

3 years ago

March 21, 2023

Oakland Post

Manpreet Kaur of Marin City interned with the Public Defender's Office last summer and was recipient of the Dan Daniels Spirit of Service Award.

San Rafael, CA – Recruitment has just opened for the Marin County Career Explorer Program, a popular vocational skills internship opportunity for those between the ages of 15 and 22 funded by the Marin County Probation Department.

Young people curious about public service careers get a chance to work with County of Marin departments and earn a few bucks while gaining exclusive experience. The program runs from June 12 through August 4. Participants are paid $17.50 per hour during their internship. Applications are available online in English[External] and Spanish[External] and may be turned in through May 31.

Manpreet Kaur of Marin City, a 2022 participant, spent time learning about the Marin County Public Defender’s Office from mentor attorney La Dell Dangerfield. She subsequently connected with he Marin Teen Girl Conference, the Marin 9 to 25 Initiative, and an internship with the nonprofit Bloom Marin. Kaur was the recipient of the 2022 Dan Daniels Spirit of Service Award, which goes to an intern who demonstrates a passion for serving clients, coworkers, and community partners.

“The Career Explorer Program wasn’t just an internship for me,” Kaur said. “It was a gateway to opportunities. I met so many incredible people and had a great time. I would highly recommend this program to anyone.”

The Career Explorer program provides opportunities to local youth who are exposed to circumstances that traditionally present barriers to employment. Those may include personal experiences with the juvenile justice system, family members with experience in either the juvenile or adult justice systems or live in neighborhoods impacted by crime or other socioeconomic issues.

Career Explorers, now in its eighth year, was borne from a long-range business plan that included focus areas of “diversity and inclusion” and “growth and development.” The program also includes a comprehensive soft skills training course and a guest speaker series that features County employees, community partners, and leaders from the business community sharing stories designed to motivate future members of the workforce.

Chief Probation Officer Marlon Washington saw first-hand how important the internships can be last summer as the program organizers presented purely online experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am proud to continue the Probation Department’s innovative program, which is the best way for youth to find a career they love through exploration,” Washington said. “Showing them the many options available can help spark interest and find their passion.”

Luis Luciano, a Probation Senior Program Coordinator, said he was grateful to return to the in-person experience as the pandemic eased. Career Explorers programming now features a daily online guest speaker and one in-person guest speaker per week, allowing youths connect with more County employees and community leaders.

“There were lessons learned during the pandemic that have served us well,” he said. “As much as youth are into technology, they really were needing the connection and sense of community that the in-person internship experience creates. We were able to provide them with practice interviews and also have them partake in a public speaking workshop, something that is a bit more difficult to replicate in the online environment. These trainings give young people the skills and confidence they need to become our next leaders.”

The Career Explorer Program creates a diverse, skilled, and local candidate pool for employment opportunities in a manner that promotes growth and development. The Probation Department collaborates with the County’s Department of Human Resources and other County departments to offer the program. Probation uses funds from a state grant to cover the costs of stipends, work uniforms, food, transportation, and supervision for the interns. Departments that employ the interns also contribute to the cost of the program.

Email Luciano or call (415) 473-6676 to learn more about the program or to obtain a printed application.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.