[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":354},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002F500m-raise-us-launches-to-retrain-workers-partners-include-amazon-and-ups-with-fresno-sites":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":341,"dateModified":341,"description":342,"extension":13,"meta":343,"navigation":21,"path":344,"rawbody":345,"seo":346,"sitemap":347,"stem":348,"tags":349,"__hash__":353},"news\u002Fnews\u002F500m-raise-us-launches-to-retrain-workers-partners-include-amazon-and-ups-with-fresno-sites.md","$500M RAISE US launches to retrain workers; partners include Amazon and UPS with Fresno sites",false,"Priya Aryal",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":334},[242,246,250,269,272,275,279,282,285,289,292,295,299,302,305,321,324,328],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"_500m-raise-us-launches-to-retrain-workers-partners-include-amazon-and-ups-with-fresno-sites",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263,266],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"RAISE US launched June 25 with more than $500 million for AI-era training.",[254,258,259],{},"Initial pilots start in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah, not California.",[254,261,262],{},"Partners include Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI Foundation and Bank of America.",[254,264,265],{},"Additional employers involved include UPS, GM, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco and IBM.",[254,267,268],{},"Fresno’s warehousing, trucking and back-office roles are among jobs analysts say AI could reshape.",[66,270,271],{},"Five hundred million dollars to keep people working. That is the opening number for RAISE US, a new nonprofit led by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo with former Indiana governor Eric Holcomb that says it will fund training tied to real hiring and test employer incentives to retrain and redeploy workers. For Central Valley readers, the partner list matters because it includes companies with a footprint here, and because the first round of pilots is outside California which means local leaders will need to ask in if they want in.",[66,273,274],{},"The group opens with state partnerships in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah. It is pitching a model that moves money toward training connected to jobs, not just enrollment, and toward corporate tax and policy ideas that keep employees on payrolls during transitions. If those pilots show a benefit, the money could move toward other states on a defined timeline, the organization said, though no dates yet.",[61,276,278],{"id":277},"why-this-could-hit-the-99-corridor","Why this could hit the 99 corridor",[66,280,281],{},"Look at Fresno County’s mix of employers and you see immediate exposure. Amazon operates a major fulfillment center in southwest Fresno, UPS runs facilities that feed local delivery routes, and the corridor’s logistics, distribution and cold storage operators automate quickly when the math works. Those are exactly the categories economists flag as early adopters of AI scheduling, routing and document workflows, with warehouse picking and back-office claims work next if unit economics hold.",[66,283,284],{},"That means the first signal for workers here won’t be a pink slip, it will be a new dashboard at work that changes how tasks get assigned. Community colleges from Fresno City College to Reedley already run short-format credentials for logistics and industrial automation, but the Valley’s gap is scale and guaranteed placement. RAISE US says it wants training tied to hiring outcomes, not just class hours, which is the right metric if the dollars are serious.",[61,286,288],{"id":287},"who-is-at-the-table","Who is at the table",[66,290,291],{},"RAISE US lists Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation and Bank of America as anchor partners, with UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco and IBM also involved. The advisory board includes former House Speaker Paul Ryan, investor Stephen Schwarzman, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and economists David Autor, Erik Brynjolfsson and Raj Chetty. The company mix suggests programs that span hourly operations, customer support and office roles, not only software jobs in the Bay Area.",[66,293,294],{},"Analysts keep publishing big numbers on disruption risk, including estimates that up to half of U.S. jobs will be reshaped within a few years, and tens of millions could be eliminated or reclassified. Those figures vary by method, and the details matter for regions like ours where logistics and food processing dominate, since those sectors invest on thin margins.",[61,296,298],{"id":297},"what-this-means-locally-near-term","What this means locally, near term",[66,300,301],{},"California isn’t in the first wave. So expect two tracks here: employers linked to the coalition may import playbooks from those pilot states into Valley facilities without waiting for Sacramento, and local institutions will try to align around programs that show credible placement data. If RAISE US opens a California round, the obvious test beds are along Highway 99 where Amazon, UPS and their vendors can move headcount quickly across shifts.",[66,303,304],{},"A small thing, but telling. There’s a faint diesel smell in the loading bays off South Willow most mornings. If the money behind this effort follows the jobs that generate it, the change will show up there first. In how routes get built, and who keeps the scanner.",[66,306,307],{},[308,309,310,311,314,315,320],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,312,313],{},"CVAI Newsdesk"," team and developed by ",[316,317,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":318},[319],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[322,323],"hr",{},[61,325,327],{"id":326},"source","Source",[66,329,330],{},[316,331,332],{"href":332,"rel":333},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Fbusiness\u002Fap-ai-is-plowing-through-the-workplace-this-new-group-wants-to-help-people-adapt-and-have-jobs\u002F",[319],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":335},[336,337,338,339,340],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":277,"depth":11,"text":278},{"id":287,"depth":11,"text":288},{"id":297,"depth":11,"text":298},{"id":326,"depth":11,"text":327},"2026-06-28","RAISE US, a bipartisan nonprofit, starts with more than $500 million to pilot AI-era training with states and large employers. California isn't in the first wave, but the Highway 99 corridor has direct ties through partner companies and likely job categories.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002F500m-raise-us-launches-to-retrain-workers-partners-include-amazon-and-ups-with-fresno-sites","---\nauthor: Priya Aryal\ndate: 2026-06-28\ndateModified: '2026-06-28'\ndescription: RAISE US, a bipartisan nonprofit, starts with more than $500 million\n  to pilot AI-era training with states and large employers. California isn't in the\n  first wave, but the Highway 99 corridor has direct ties through partner companies\n  and likely job categories.\ntags:\n- workforce\n- business\n- central valley\ntitle: $500M RAISE US launches to retrain workers; partners include Amazon and UPS\n  with Fresno sites\n---\n\n# $500M RAISE US launches to retrain workers; partners include Amazon and UPS with Fresno sites\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. RAISE US launched June 25 with more than $500 million for AI-era training.\n2. Initial pilots start in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah, not California.\n3. Partners include Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI Foundation and Bank of America.\n4. Additional employers involved include UPS, GM, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco and IBM.\n5. Fresno’s warehousing, trucking and back-office roles are among jobs analysts say AI could reshape.\n\nFive hundred million dollars to keep people working. That is the opening number for RAISE US, a new nonprofit led by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo with former Indiana governor Eric Holcomb that says it will fund training tied to real hiring and test employer incentives to retrain and redeploy workers. For Central Valley readers, the partner list matters because it includes companies with a footprint here, and because the first round of pilots is outside California which means local leaders will need to ask in if they want in.\n\nThe group opens with state partnerships in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah. It is pitching a model that moves money toward training connected to jobs, not just enrollment, and toward corporate tax and policy ideas that keep employees on payrolls during transitions. If those pilots show a benefit, the money could move toward other states on a defined timeline, the organization said, though no dates yet.\n\n## Why this could hit the 99 corridor\n\nLook at Fresno County’s mix of employers and you see immediate exposure. Amazon operates a major fulfillment center in southwest Fresno, UPS runs facilities that feed local delivery routes, and the corridor’s logistics, distribution and cold storage operators automate quickly when the math works. Those are exactly the categories economists flag as early adopters of AI scheduling, routing and document workflows, with warehouse picking and back-office claims work next if unit economics hold.\n\nThat means the first signal for workers here won’t be a pink slip, it will be a new dashboard at work that changes how tasks get assigned. Community colleges from Fresno City College to Reedley already run short-format credentials for logistics and industrial automation, but the Valley’s gap is scale and guaranteed placement. RAISE US says it wants training tied to hiring outcomes, not just class hours, which is the right metric if the dollars are serious.\n\n## Who is at the table\n\nRAISE US lists Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation and Bank of America as anchor partners, with UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco and IBM also involved. The advisory board includes former House Speaker Paul Ryan, investor Stephen Schwarzman, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and economists David Autor, Erik Brynjolfsson and Raj Chetty. The company mix suggests programs that span hourly operations, customer support and office roles, not only software jobs in the Bay Area.\n\nAnalysts keep publishing big numbers on disruption risk, including estimates that up to half of U.S. jobs will be reshaped within a few years, and tens of millions could be eliminated or reclassified. Those figures vary by method, and the details matter for regions like ours where logistics and food processing dominate, since those sectors invest on thin margins.\n\n## What this means locally, near term\n\nCalifornia isn’t in the first wave. So expect two tracks here: employers linked to the coalition may import playbooks from those pilot states into Valley facilities without waiting for Sacramento, and local institutions will try to align around programs that show credible placement data. If RAISE US opens a California round, the obvious test beds are along Highway 99 where Amazon, UPS and their vendors can move headcount quickly across shifts.\n\nA small thing, but telling. There’s a faint diesel smell in the loading bays off South Willow most mornings. If the money behind this effort follows the jobs that generate it, the change will show up there first. In how routes get built, and who keeps the scanner.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Fbusiness\u002Fap-ai-is-plowing-through-the-workplace-this-new-group-wants-to-help-people-adapt-and-have-jobs\u002F\n",{"title":237,"description":342},{"loc":344},"news\u002F500m-raise-us-launches-to-retrain-workers-partners-include-amazon-and-ups-with-fresno-sites",[350,351,352],"workforce","business","central valley","LJ67cAoTyv8beL0ExZg72oYsVL3Wz9cysIns0h6GLpo",1783395181908]