A coalition of community colleges in
San Diego and Imperial counties has received a $1.4 million grant to better
prepare students -- beginning at the middle school level -- for the hottest
jobs of the future.
The three-year state Career Pathways
grant will focus on providing training for job sectors determined to have the
most growth in the region for the coming years. Money from the grant will also
be used to align the training and education programs among community colleges
and the middle and high schools so that all of the programs are teaching the
skills that students most need to learn for the emerging jobs.
The region is uniquely qualified to
establish the program because all of the nine community colleges in the two
counties are members of the San Diego and Imperial County Community College
Association (SDICCCA), a coalition that has existed for 50 years to work
together to better serve the area's 150,000 community college students.
The California Community College
Chancellor's Office challenged community colleges throughout the state to
determine which workforce sectors will show the most growth and have the
greatest need for more trained workers. The regional consortium for San Diego
and Imperial counties determined that they should focus on training for jobs in
transportation and renewables, health, and biotech, along with advanced
manufacturing and information communications technology/digital media.
The grant will also be used for the
community colleges to collaborate with each other and the middle and high
schools in the region to ensure they're all teaching students the same lessons.
Currently, a student interested in a field such as health care might find that
what they were taught in middle or high school has a different focus than what
their community college classes offer.
“It’s to help provide a smoother
transition for students from high school to college,” said Mary Wylie, a
retired Southwestern College dean who is serving as chair of the Regional
Consortium for the San Diego-Imperial County region.
Community colleges will also be
working together to align the programs and training they offer to students
preparing for jobs. For example, biotech classes offered at all of the colleges
would offer the same lessons and skills so students could easily transfer from
one college to another without falling behind, Wylie said.
Wylie said representatives from the
community colleges will also be meeting with businesses in the region to learn
more about the training needs for their workforce. A regional committee will
ensure the colleges are offering the same kind of programs that companies need,
she said.
“Businesses just want us to send them
good employees,” she said.
Grossmont College President Sunita V.
Cooke has been working to help SDICCCA obtain the state grant, and is also
serving on a statewide advisory board to help other regions create similar
workforce training programs. The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
is also responsible for administering the grant funds.
Cooke said the Career Pathways
program is one of the many ways that community colleges in the region are
working together to serve students and employers.
“Our goals are always to find new and
innovative ways to help our students succeed, find good jobs, and to provide
excellent employees for the workforce,” Cooke said.
