Opportunities in Technology Information Careers (OPTIC)

OPTIC was founded in 1999 by a consortium of private businesses, local government agencies and community-based organizations that recognized the need for a sustainable way to fill Contra Costa’s growing gap between employers’ demand for qualified information technology employees and low-income residents’ need for living wage employment. Offering training, on-the-job experience, support services, job placement, and long-term follow up, OPTIC provides CalWORKs recipients with the tools they need to succeed in the field of information technology, where qualified employees are in high demand, wages and benefits are competitive, and opportunities for advancement are plentiful.

OPTIC provides participants with 3 months of free, full-time computer and life-skills training. Once training is successfully completed, OPTIC offers each participant employment in a closely supervised setting, where employees earn up to $8.00 per hour to provide database management for local businesses. After up to 6 months of employment at OPTIC, participants are placed in competitive outside jobs paying approximately $30,000 per year.