Among the activities of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the programs of the Division of Workforce and Economic Development bridge the skills and jobs mismatch and prepare California’s workforce for 21st century careers. The Division serves as administrator for several streams of state and federal funds, including Governor’s Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative (SB70), Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, and Proposition 98 dollars for Apprenticeship, Economic & Workforce Development (EWD), and Career Technical Education (CTE). The Division collaborates with employers, organized labor, local communities, and their community colleges through programming supported by these funds to close the skills gap and to foster successful student completion.

The Opportunity

The opportunity exists for community colleges to become essential catalysts in California’s economic recovery and jobs creation at the local, regional and state levels.

The Strategy

Doing What MATTERS for jobs and the economy is a four-pronged framework to respond to the call of our nation, state, and regions to close the skills gap. The four prongs are:

• Give Priority for jobs and the economy »
• Make Room for jobs and the economy »
• Promote Student Success »
• Innovate for jobs and the economy »

Goals

The goals of Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy are to supply in-demand skills for employers, create relevant career pathways and stackable credentials, promote student success and get Californians into open jobs.

The Road Ahead

A focus on priority/emergent sectors and industry clusters; take effective practices to scale; integrate and leverage programming between funding streams; promote common metrics for student success; removeA structural barriers to execution.

California’s community colleges are vital to the economy

The California Community Colleges play an important role in boosting our state’s economy by serving more than 2.6 million students a year. In fact, one out of four community college students in the U.S. is enrolled in a California community college, making it the nation’s largest system of higher education.

Our 112 colleges provide students with the knowledge and background necessary in today’s competitive job market. With a wide range of educational offerings, the colleges provide workforce training, basic skills courses in English and math, certificate and degree programs and preparation for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In a difficult economy, a college education is critical. Our campuses also serve as a natural gateway for veterans seeking a degree or job skills to transition to civilian life.

“All-In Nation: An America That Works for All” describes how strong communities of color are critical to America’s economic future and lays out a comprehensive policy agenda to build an equitable economy where everyone can participate and thrive.  The Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy framework supports student access and success – inclusive of underserved communities — so that California can have a skilled workforce reflective of its diversity.