Regional Strong Workforce

 REGIONAL STRONG WORKFORCE PROGRAM (Round 1: 2016-2017):

  • Career Pathways Specialist
  • Crosstown Engineering Design Manufacturing HUB
  • Health Sector: A Regional Career Pathway Approach
  • LEAP Project
  • Noncredit CTE Readiness Boot Camps
  • Regional NetLab Hub & Cybersecurity
  • Teacher Preparation Pipeline

Career Pathways Specialist- colleen mckinley

Implementation of Career Pathways is a major focus of the Strong Workforce Recommendations. This project would provide technical assistance and staffing that would continue the work of the SB 1070 Career Pathways Grant.  The current grant sunsets June 2017, but funding is needed for the 2017-18 Academic Year.  Focus will be on: 1. Implementation of Alternative Methods for Granting Credit from High School and/or Adult Education; 2. Implementation of CATEMA to track credit granting from high school/adult education; 3.  Implementation of Dual Enrollment Courses that focus on identified career pathways.  The Career Specialist will be the point of contact for articulation, dual enrollment and development of career pathways between the community colleges and high schools/adult schools.  Funding will provide for : 10-month employees at each of the 19 colleges, project director contract, project coordinator (part time), clerical support, web hosting for www.lacccwc.com with link to www.laocrc.org, staff development for counselors at high schools, adults schools & community colleges, and meeting expenses.

Crosstown Engineering Design Manufacturing HUB- nick real

This regional program is structured to provide a systematic, broad-based Engineering Design Manufacturing pathways that emphasize the most prevalent design, fabrication and manufacturing technologies such as CAD, detail drawings and print reading, mechanical literacy, measurement and inspection, product process development, costs analysis and project management, manual and CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet metal, welding rapid prototyping, casting molding and forming for metal and plastic, lighting techniques, machine technology in artistic design, developing cross town teams for competitions and/or projects, alignment of curriculum to address industry needs, etc.  We will use our collective programs for work-based learning (paid internships), local and state maker fairs, design thinking all using of campus, Makerspace/FabLab/Innovation Center concepts.

Health Sector: A Regional Career Pathway Approach- sandy marks

This project is designed to provide a regionally coordinated career pathway approach to curriculum and program development in the health sector, a sector that has been identified by LAEDC and the LA area Chamber of Commerce as one of top priority sectors for the region as it relates to demand. The specific programs selected are vetted by industry as high demand occupations with current and projected openings and will serve both students and job seekers.  Additional jobs or occupations will be added based on health sector industry and employer input and industry engagement. The project addresses a range of workforce needs along the career pathway continuum, from career pathway exploration and preparation for entry-level positions to post-degree training for RNs to meet workforce shortages.  The project will include full program development, career pathway development (k-16), curriculum development and alignment, work-based learning, employer engagement, outreach and recruitment, equipment and professional development.  This includes finalizing innovations in core/foundation curriculum/certification; the alignment, enhancement and/or development of health occupations specifically in Respiratory Theory and Radiologic Tech/Sonography (others can be added based on industry partner needs); and curriculum development for a number of Specialty RN jobs, programs that can be implemented in college, mid-level career training and post-licensure specialization courses.

LEAP Project- randy morales

The LEAP project seeks to identify, promote and encourage innovative partnerships between employers, K-12, community colleges and higher education institutions to help today’s ‘working learners’ complete their education while working.  The foundation of the consortium’s project is to help the Advanced Manufacturing, Retail/Business and other selected industry sectors as determined by each campus, succeed by building educational/career pathways throughout these industries, and to prepare workers for placement and advancement in high skill and high demand occupations. Cerritos College has worked closely in partnering with Viridis Learning to build a competency-based platform and, in so doing, connects students to meaningful pathways based upon local employer demand.  Scope and parameters of the project:  Coordination across a college consortium to:

1) Increase number of student CTE courses (by: Creating/Enhancing relevant curriculum to meet workforce demands & creating stacked and latticed models from Certificate to AA/BA); 2) Increase percentage of student completions (as a result of building education/career pathways, increasing number of portable CTE & OER courses, and tracking student progress and retention); 3) Successful workface outcomes (through increased internships & job placement percentage; improved sector-based engagement with employers within the region; and integration of the Viridis Learning platform for student tracking/placement); and 4) Collectively market CTE programs to K-12 and employers (by way of intervention programs in which K-12 students are engaged with college campuses for educational and academic skill building; school-college course articulation and curriculum development, school presentations and college/career days involving K-12 students, regional colleges, and industry partners; and website development/enhancements.

Noncredit CTE Readiness Boot Camps- graciela vasquez

The LAOCRC Regional Plan outcomes can be strengthened with the development of contextualized short-term non-credit boot campus to better prepare students to enter college and be successful in credit CTE coursework. Examples of contextualized non-credit boot campus are Math for Health Careers Vocational ESL, and preparation for college placement exams.  The project seeks to include participation from regional noncredit faculty for the development of contextualized noncredit curriculum.  There is also the potential to increase WIOA and Adult Education Block Grant outcomes by improving post-secondary transitions, employment and certifications.

Regional NetLab Hub & Cybersecurity- kenny lou

This is an Orange County/Los Angeles County Regional project to create a regional NetLab Hub.  To date the consortium members to include: Rio Hondo College, LA Mission, Cerritos, Pasadena, El Camino, West LA, Citrus, East LA, Los Angeles City, LA Harbor, and Santa Monica.  This regional consortium of community colleges will giver Southern California students round-the-clock access to CTE training and virtual labs.  The virtual lab system will be used for courses that prepare students for jobs in IT and Cybersecurity. A regional sharing model enables participating colleges to offer courses that support training for certifications from the industry’s most recognized providers, such as Cisco, CompTIA, and VMware.  The ability to offer a multitude of classes without each campus investing in expensive lab equipment is a major benefit.  This combination of software and hardware will enable faculty and students, from any internet accessible location, to utilize a virtual lab environment designed to provide employer demanded “hands-on” experience with a variety of computer operating systems, networking equipment, and application software.  The group will work with Coastline to duplicate/expand programs to include cybersecurity within the LA region.

Teacher Preparation Pipeline- colleen mckinley

The Teacher Preparation Pipeline (TPP) – STEM /CTE Collaborative started in 2014-15 when 10 TPP campuses came together and created a statewide collaborative.  This collaborative provides a model of contextualized teacher preparation that successfully recruits, trains and supports existing and future educators throughout the state of California, focuses on the areas of STEM and CTE. Its focus includes career exploration, contextualized learning opportunities, teacher recruitment and retention, and the development of a quality teacher preparation model of collaboration that is currently shared regionally, statewide and beyond.  It will focus on two major activities: 1) enhancing professional development opportunities for CTE faulty to maintain industry and program relevance as part of the BOG Task Force Recommendation; and 2) developing partnerships with K-12 districts to develop shared initiatives for increasing dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students interested in careers with children, increasing teacher pipeline activities, and jointly promoting teaching as a career. This TPP Collaborative project covers the following key criteria and projected outcomes; Increasing Enrollment Potential (approx. 475 students enrolled in dual enrollment in Fall 2017); Developing Career Pathways (each participating college will work with 4-year university partners and K-12 districts to streamline career pathways that lead to teaching); Preparing Students (e.g. career exploration, counseling, field work); Preparing Job Seekers; Work-based Learning Opportunities; Broad Regional Focus (collaborative will convene all 19 colleges in the LA Region to work on projects with a regional focus); Job Placement Function; New Curriculum Development; Addressing Gaps in Skill Development; Faculty Professional Development; and Additional Template Metrics.