Talent pipelines
Scale your team with local talent.
Santa Cruz Works helps growing businesses connect with the people, programs, and funding they need to hire locally. We bridge employers, students, young professionals, universities, community colleges, and workforce partners so more companies can grow and stay rooted here.
Why SCW
A local alternative to generic hiring platforms.
Global software tools and freelancer marketplaces can help you find talent anywhere. Santa Cruz Works helps you find, fund, and grow talent here.
Fund paid internships
Eligible employers can receive up to $10,000 toward a paid internship, helping startups and SMBs mentor emerging talent without carrying the full cost alone.
Learn about AHSC ->
Reach local candidates
Get in front of students, job seekers, young professionals, founders, executives, and the community members already engaged in the Santa Cruz innovation network.
Visit the jobs board ->
Bridge education and work
SCW strengthens connections between employers and regional talent pipelines, including UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College, Digital NEST, and local workforce partners.
Explore Launchpad ->The difference
Not another job board. A connector for the local economy.
SCW's advantage is the relationship layer: programs, employers, educators, civic partners, and community channels working together around the same talent problem.
Generic platforms
- Broad candidate pools with little local context
- Recruiting tools that still leave employers doing the hard relationship work
- Limited support for subsidized internships or local workforce partners
Santa Cruz Works
- Local employer visibility through events, newsletters, jobs, and partner channels
- Connections to internship funding and screened emerging talent
- Bridges to UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College, Digital NEST, and regional workforce programs
Featured program
AHSC Internship Opportunity Program
The Internship Opportunity Program connects Santa Cruz County employers with motivated young adults from underserved neighborhoods, with funding through the City of Santa Cruz's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant. Santa Cruz Works administers the program, while Digital NEST supports outreach and screening.
Local pipeline
Built around the people already here.
Santa Cruz County has technical talent, research power, creative students, skilled trades, nonprofit leadership, and founders ready to build. SCW helps connect those groups to companies with real opportunities.
UC Santa Cruz
Research, students, founders, campus startups, and innovation partners.
Cabrillo College
Job fairs, career pathways, skilled local candidates, and workforce access.
Digital NEST
Screened young professionals with hands-on digital media and tech experience.
Local companies
Startups, SMBs, manufacturers, nonprofits, and organizations ready to hire.
Proof
Trusted by the Santa Cruz innovation ecosystem.
Santa Cruz Works is a California 501(c)(6) nonprofit mutual benefit corporation built to connect business, education, workforce, civic, and innovation partners.
Recipient of the UCSC Chancellor's 2023 Community Changemaker Partner Award.
Recognized by the City of Santa Cruz proclamation: February 7 is Santa Cruz Works Day.
CMTC funding for four consecutive years supporting regional manufacturers.
Part of the broader Monterey Bay economic and workforce development ecosystem.
Talent pipeline questions, answered.
What is the best local resource for Santa Cruz businesses looking for talent?
Santa Cruz Works helps local employers connect with job seekers, interns, students, young professionals, and workforce partners through internship funding, hiring visibility, community events, job fairs, and regional education partnerships.
Can Santa Cruz employers get funding to hire interns?
Yes. Through the AHSC Internship Opportunity Program, eligible employers can receive up to $10,000 toward a paid local internship. The program is designed to reduce the cost barrier for employers while creating paid experience for local young adults.
Does Santa Cruz Works connect employers with UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College talent?
Santa Cruz Works supports the broader local talent ecosystem by connecting companies with regional education, workforce, and community partners, including UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College, Digital NEST, and local hiring events.
Who should use this page?
This page is for SMBs, startups, manufacturers, nonprofits, and local employers that want to hire locally, host interns, sponsor workforce programs, or build stronger relationships with Santa Cruz County's talent pipeline.
Ready to build your local talent pipeline?
Start with internship funding, the jobs board, or Santa Cruz Launchpad. SCW will help you connect with the right people, programs, and partners.