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We sat down with Kenny Spratt, Founder of TalentBase, and Adrianne Pietz, Industry Ecosystem Liaison at B3K Prosperity, to discuss how TalentBase is working — with support from California Jobs First and the Kern Coalition — to offer career-aligned training for veterans and their families while strengthening employer partnerships across the region’s aerospace, defense, energy, and manufacturing sectors. Adrianne sheds light on B3K’s role as the convener partner leading the work with TalentBase, also supported by fellow Kern Coalition Convener: Kern Inyo Mono Central Labor Council (KIMCLC), Building Healthy Communities Kern County (BHC), Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), and the fiscal agent Kern Community College District (which provides administrative and fiscal oversight in accordance with California Jobs First requirements. Kenny also shared his vision for TalentBase’s Veteran’s CareerBridge program to become a replicable, community-driven model for workforce development across the Kern County region and beyond.
Impact Snapshot
Kenny, can you share an overview of TalentBase and what you're hoping to achieve — particularly how the Veteran’s CareerBridge Program is driving workforce development in the region?
Kenny:
Our program is designed not just for veterans, but for entire veteran families, including spouses and dependents. When a veteran transitions out of the military, it's not just that individual who is impacted; it's everyone around them. Very rarely do programs account for the whole family, but ours does.
The program has a phased structure. In Phase 1, we bring in community leaders and veteran resource providers so that participants feel supported and aware of available resources. We can address food insecurity, housing instability, and other barriers before they become bigger problems. We also include professional development, purpose-finding support, and exposure to employers so veterans understand what the workforce is looking for.
After Phase 1, participants enroll in training through our partnership with Employers Training Resources (ETR), using the Metrix online platform. We cover certification exam fees so participants are better positioned when meeting with employers. We also have a partnership with Bakersfield College that allows veterans to convert their military records into college credit, accelerating their path to a degree or advanced certificate.
Then comes our matching phase. Committed employer partners interview program participants on a bi-monthly basis and can choose a direct hire, an on-the-job training arrangement through ETR, or participate through SkillBridge, a Department of Defense program that allows eligible active-duty service members to train with approved employers for up to 180 days while continuing to receive military pay and benefits, creating a low-cost pathway for employers to evaluate and develop veteran talent. Even if a veteran isn't placed in a given cycle, we gather employer feedback, provide one-on-one coaching, and reintegrate them in the next phase. We continue that cycle until they're successfully placed.
Adrianne, how has the Kern Coalition and B3K Prosperity been supporting TalentBase's work through the California Jobs First funding?
Adrianne:
Through coordinated support from the Kern Coalition, B3K is partnering with fellow conveners to advance TalentBase’s work. TalentBase is supported through California Jobs First Catalyst funding, with B3K Prosperity serving as the lead convener partner, alongside coalition partners KIMCLC, CAPK, BHC, and Kern Community College District as fiscal agent. The coalition came together in 2022 to implement the planning grant for the California Jobs First – Kern Region. Serving as the foundation and guiding force of the Kern Coalition, we are united by a shared commitment to advancing inclusive, community-driven objectives that strengthen the regional economy, expand employment opportunities, build skill capacity, and promote equity for marginalized communities.
As an economic development organization, B3K is helping Kenny identify industry partners, figuring out which employers have the right needs for the skill sets his veterans are developing. We're focused on making sure there are strong placement outcomes so that, at the end of this, we have a meaningful number of veterans in sustained jobs. It needs to be a win for both the employer and the employee.
How do you envision this project positively impacting Kern County and its communities?
Kenny:
This program creates access and transparency for employers who didn't even know there was a talent pipeline available to them. Much of what we do is employer education first. Once that happens, it usually leads to a partnership. I’m proud to say, we've already helped one dependent land a job at Mojave Air and Spaceport.
This program provides a direct connection to employers who have signed on and committed to hiring veterans. That's fundamentally different from a veteran submitting to a job board or showing up to a job fair. The likelihood of placement is significantly higher, and because we've done the purpose work upfront, retention is stronger too. It's a win for the employer and for the candidate.
Adrianne:
Kenny is doing this at a really crucial moment. We have significant defense installations here: the Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake. There is a real community need for this kind of wraparound support for service members transitioning out.
When one person finds meaningful employment, the impact extends to their family, their children, the community. That ripple effect is what makes programs like this so important, especially given our location and the proximity of those installations.
Kenny:
That's exactly why I started TalentBase. I was already deeply involved in workforce development before launching the organization, and I kept seeing the same gaps. Kern County is geographically isolated, with distinct pockets of growth. Veterans have transferable skills that align directly with the industries we're trying to grow here. My goal is to make sure we're embracing those skill sets and connecting them to the industries that need them most.
At the end of this year, what does success look like?
Kenny:
Success is having a sustainable model that we can keep going after the California Jobs First program completes. It's getting veterans placed into roles where employers need their skill sets, and continuing to grow in alignment with our core industries. Beyond that, I want to demonstrate that this community-based approach to veteran workforce integration is a replicable model, something we can take statewide and ultimately across the nation.
How can employers and the broader community get involved and support your work?
Kenny:
Our pilot cohort proved the model works. We started with 9 individuals and graduated 7. Of the two who didn't complete with that cohort: one was hired directly by an employer ahead of schedule, a major win, and the other had a scheduling conflict and will reintegrate in the next matching phase. The feedback from participant surveys has been phenomenal and confirms this is what our community needs.
Employers can support the next phase by identifying two to three open roles, committing to interview qualified participants, offering mentorship, or participating in professional development sessions.
