Our mission: JVS transforms lives by helping people build skills and find work to achieve self-sufficiency.

A Brief History of JVS

Jewish Vocational Service was founded in 1973 by the Jewish Community to help Bay Area residents find jobs. Since then, JVS has been responsive to changes in the local economy and the needs of the Bay Area community.

JVS’s first major shift in programming came in 1977. In response to an influx of immigrants from the Soviet Union, JVS worked with these individuals to help them build skills and learn how to navigate the Bay Area employment landscape.

In the 1980s JVS responded to the recession by developing new programs that focused on groups of people most negatively impacted by the recession.  This included services especially for people over the age of 50. 

In 1992 JVS began its early sector-based work with skills training and job search assistance focused on the healthcare sector.  This early sector-focused work laid the groundwork for future Career Pathways programs such as the EXCEL, a training partnership with UCSF for medical administrative assistants (launched in 2010) and the Salesforce Administrator training program (launched in 2015).

Recognizing the significant need for job readiness programs for local youth, in 1996 JVS expanded its youth high school program throughout the San Francisco Unified School District.  In the years since its inception this program has reached over 6,000 San Francisco youth with job readiness and post-graduation transition services.

In 2009 the Great Recession hit America and the Bay Area, leading to skyrocketing unemployment rates. JVS increased programming to help people build the job-specific skills and job search skills necessary to get back to work.  We are proud of the pivotal role that we played in helping Bay Area residents get back to work and strengthening the local community.

In 2015, Post-Great Recession and with a strong local economy, JVS nimbly adapted to focus on helping the people who have been left behind by the Bay Area’s prosperous growth. With higher minimum qualifications for jobs, many people who are looking for work lack the necessary in-demand skills. To address this challenge, JVS launched an ambitious expansion of its sector-focused Career Pathway programs in health care, financial services, technology and construction trades.