MLVS' goal is to provide vocational training in the fields of health care, clerical, and hospitality for minorities of low income, limited English speaking populations.

MLVS provides a health care curriculum that adequately prepares a multilingual and multicultural workforce to address the inequalities in health outcomes among underrepresented Latinos, Asians and other minorities in San Francisco by providing certification programs in Medical Assisting (offering emphases in Clinical, Administrative Assistant, and Medical Insurance Billing and Coding). The growing Latino and Asian populations in California are in need of linguistic and culturally competent healthcare workers. These populations also need direct access to quality healthcare services. Of utmost concern are the Latino and Asian elderly populations in the Bay Area that require healthcare professionals to be linguistically and culturally competent in order to adequately address their health care. According to the Employment Development Department, there are currently 9,963 job openings for Medical Assistants in San Francisco. There is also a shortage of qualified multilingual and multicultural healthcare providers serving low income communities in San Francisco. The Mission Language and Vocational School’s (MLVS) Health Care Vocational Programs addresses this workforce need.

Latino Cuisine Culinary Academy (LCCA): The primary purpose of LCCA is to provide students with the skills necessary to obtain positions in the hospitality industry. This community-based culinary academy is designed to serve a diverse, multicultural population. Trainees of the program study culinary arts, develop communication and management skills, and get practical experience through internships in the commercial kitchen space and other partner restaurants, providing them with the opportunity to be competitive in the foodservice industry. This program integrates comprehensive language competency training related to industry standards and terminology (VESL), and reinforce health and safety standards through the basic educational skills classes we offer in language, math, and computers.

Additional programs are offered in clerical training, computers, as well as after-school and summer programs for at-risk youth. All MLVS programs provide additional intensive instruction in core subjects that prepare students to enter the workforce: English as a Second Language (ESL), math, and computer literacy; and also provide internship opportunities and assistance with job placement.

For more information, please contact Rosamunda Ayala at 415-641-3707 or Itala Portal at 415-641-3709.