October 30 | Volume 40 No. 31
Westsidestory Newspaper
Thursday, October 29, 2026
BBOP Center Launches Pathways to Prosperity Program to Build Career Pipelines into High-Demand Industries
Regional workforce initiative prioritizes veterans, justice-involved individuals and young adults, with industry-recognized training, paid work experience and career opportunities
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — The Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit (BBOP) Cen ter, an Inland Empire economic and workforce development hub and a project of Time for Change Foundation, has launched Pathways to Prosperity, its Employment Training Pathway Program (ETPP), a comprehensive workforce initiative designed to connect residents facing barriers to employment with the skills, credentials, hands-on experience and employer relationships needed to enter and advance in highdemand careers. Pathways to Prosperity represents a signifi cant expansion of BBOP Center’s workforce development efforts. The initiative is designed to serve 140 participants across career pathways in construction and skilled trades, health care, technology, advanced manufacturing, and logistics and distribution, with a particular focus on veterans, justice-involved individuals and Opportunity Young Adults ages 18 to 28. Unlike traditional training programs that may end when a class or certification is complet ed, BBOP Center has structured Pathways to Prosperity as a career pipeline. Participants move through assessment, occupational training and industry-recognized credentials to hands-on experience, paid work-based learning, employer engagement, job placement and post-employment retention support.
“BBOP Center was created to connect people to opportunity in a tangible way. Too often workforce systems ask individuals to navigate education, training, supportive services and employers separately,” said Carma Lacy, CEO of BBOP Center. “We’re bringing those pieces together and going beyond workshops and certificates to build a workforce ecosystem that connects residents with real skills, real employers and career pathways that can lead to long-term economic mobility.”
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