San Francisco Nonprofit Helps Underserved Communities Train For Manufacturing Jobs Of The Future

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – This week's Bay Area Jefferson Award winner provides underserved adults with free training that's needed to qualify for entry level manufacturing jobs of the future.

Ryan Spurlock wanted to empower historically underserved people with the skills to become San Francisco's next generation of inventors, designers, and makers.

He started Humanmade in 2018, the city's first community-based advanced manufacturing training center.

"One of the things that we see through our programs is individuals who come in feeling lost, figuring out where they're going to add value, how they're going to support themselves in the Bay Area," Spurlock told KPIX 5.

Spurlock, who's also the nonprofit's executive director, founded Humanmade in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

More than 130 students have gone through the nonprofit's free, 12-week training program in the Design District.

Nine of 10 students are extremely low income. Three out of four are people of color.

About 70% have graduated, and most of them have either continued their education or landed entry-level jobs in roles ranging from quality control to design and assembly.

"We're teaching them how to approach lifelong learning, we're teaching them to use their skills in the modern manufacturing sector to not just gain an entry-level position but also to grow in the roles," explained Spurlock.

Participant Christina Castro is learning 3D printing. She'd been in construction and bartending before, but now the skills she's gaining from Humanmade open new doors.

"I didn't have any skills, those doors weren't open to me. And now, like, there are going to be many more opportunities and maybe have a career path," Castro said. "It could be life changing, I think."

Program graduate Maria Llorente-Quan is now back to help teach.

She says Spurlock inspires students to believe in themselves.

"He has confidence. He gives you confidence," Llorente-Quan said.  "He's very encouraging in that kind of sense. It makes you feel good."

"It's really in our human nature to shape the world around us, so when you tap into that, it's far beyond just providing someone with a skill set," Spurlock said.

For providing free training that creates opportunities for the next generation of manufacturers, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Ryan Spurlock.