The City of San Jose is known as the Capital of Silicon Valley. With a population of just over 1 million, it is the third largest city in California. Given the region’s proximity to cutting-edge technology companies, there is immense potential to offer residents greater exposure to new education and training opportunities. Through the Office of Vice Mayor Chappie Jones (District 1), the City of San Jose is collaborating with community stakeholders to implement an Innovation Zone. The Innovation Zone will allow startups to develop, pilot and deploy new technology with ease. The Innovation Zone is envisioned to bring more Silicon Valley exposure to local residents, particularly communities in San Jose’s West Valley area who might not otherwise have the same exposure to tech innovation.
In order to ensure that the Innovation Zone supports improved opportunities and outcomes for San Jose residents, the Vice Mayor’s Office will partner with FUSE Corps to help maximize career training and development opportunities for residents. The FUSE Executive Fellow will develop and execute the implementation plan to ensure coordination between the various stakeholders in a manner that prioritizes equitable access and benefit to local residents. The FUSE Executive Fellow will also explore similar initiatives from across the country in order to identify best practices that could benefit San Jose, develop a strategy to launch education and training opportunities in partnership with companies in the Innovation Zone, and launch initial pilots to showcase the potential longer-term impact of this work.
