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 Our Mission
We invest in California's economic growth and global competitiveness through industry-specific education, training and services that contribute to a highly skilled and productive workforce. |
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Dean's Corner
Building the Workforce Pipeline
California's Workforce Must Prepare to Compete The gap between California's need for higher-skilled labor and the lack of supply poses a serious threat to the state's economy. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released an eye opening report Educating California: Choices for the Future that sheds light on why we need strategies to groom the workforce talent pipeline. The PPIC data reveals that by 2025, 41 percent of jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree, but only 35 percent of California adults will have college diplomas. If the current trends persist, the state will face a shortfall of one million college graduates. Moreover, adults with a high school diploma or less will outnumber the jobs available to people with that level of education.
The connection between education and earning potential has been well documented. The PPIC report goes on to state, "High-school graduates are more than twice as likely as college graduates to be unemployed, and high-school dropouts are faring even worse-one out of every five is unemployed." Given this data, is appears that if California cannot "skill-up" its workforce, we are headed for more economic challenges.
According to The Workforce Alliance's report, California's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs, "middle-skill jobs represent the largest share of jobs in California (49%), and the largest share of future job openings." Middle skill jobs are those that require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree. Although the term middle-skill refers to the level of education required by a particular job, many middle-skilled occupations require highly skilled trade and technical workers with several years of training and on-the-job experience.
Federal funds from the stimulus bill have been helping to create new jobs and many of these are middle-skilled jobs, especially in the areas of green jobs, construction, manufacturing and transportation. Matching the skills of our workforce to meet the growing demands of California's future economy will require significant investments in both higher education and technical skills training programs.
This is where our EWD programs and services can help greatly. In this edition of GROW California, you'll see how our statewide teams build the workforce pipeline to help businesses succeed across California. For a no-cost consultation on how we can help your business grow, go to www.CCCEWD.net.
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EWD Industry Study
Mobile Media Implications for Workforce Demands
Mobile media software development is one of the fastest growing segments of the technology industry; Information Technology (IT) professionals expect application development for mobile devices to surpass the software development for all other media platforms by the year 2015. According to a 2010 IBM survey, mobile access to the Internet exceeded desktop access for the first time in 2008. A recent report released by the Center of Excellence (COE), hosted at Mt. San Antonio College, examines the emergence of mobile media and its implications on workforce demands.
A notable feature of mobile media development is the wide variance in the educational requirements of the workforce, as well as the entrepreneurial nature of this fast emerging field. At the upper end of the education spectrum are software engineers with advanced degrees and years of experience with developing software, systems, and technical capabilities. At the other end of the spectrum are self-taught computer technology experts, who are developing applications in their home offices and selling or licensing them to mobile media companies and vendors. Employers interviewed for the study emphasized the demand for people with "specific skill sets", regardless of a degree, that enabled them to create mobile websites, or new applications, using multiple platforms or programming languages.
As the field is still emerging, information on the number of jobs and occupations is yet to be fully identified, which makes it challenging for community colleges to develop programs that will groom the workforce pipeline. In an effort to further understand the demands of the mobile media segment, the COE will conduct a more comprehensive employer survey. The new survey results will be available later this year, and will provide detailed data on labor market and employment projections, as well as recommendations for comprehensive educational programs designed to prepare students to meet the growing workforce and training requirements.
To view the current study, please visit www.coeccc.net. Colleges, industry partners, foundations, or workforce organizations that have inquiries or partnership interest in customized labor market research studies should contact Elaine Gaertner, COE statewide director, at elaineg@cccewd.net.
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Click on the links below to learn more about how we are building effective partnerships with business and industry through our innovative programs.
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Transportation Technologies Programs
Building Career Pathways
The technological growth spurt that has come to define the 21st century economy should be a boon to job growth and career development. However, this evolution of sophisticated technologies only highlights the growing disparity between the high-tech market demands and the ability of the workforce to keep pace with technology. In the transportation industry this has been particularly noticeable with the rise in advanced skills needed to maintain alternative fuel vehicles. While this represents great challenges for incumbent workers that lack the appropriate skills, an even more problematic issue is the incipient lack of a future workforce sufficiently skilled to fill the growing talent pipeline. Extensive studies at the national level have targeted the need for early skills development in career-technical areas, particularly among students who do not think of college as an option.
The Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Initiative (ATTE) at Cerritos College has made a concerted effort to foster career pathway programs within local high schools that align directly with the college's technical curriculum. For example, ATTE provides an educational pathway in Automotive Technologies that begins with the Automotive Career Institute (ACI), a two-year program of career exploration in automotive fields for high school juniors and seniors, conducted in partnership with the Southeast Regional Occupation Program (SEROP). Upon graduation, ACI students can transfer into the Associates of Arts degree programs at Cerritos College, which are aligned to the Department of Energy, Power and Transportation at California State University-Los Angeles. An additional, innovative career pathway has also been established for students wishing to undertake management training at the car dealership level. Through a 3+1 articulation agreement with Northwood University, Michigan, Cerritos automotive students have the option to complete a B.A. Degree in Automotive Management, with Cerritos serving as a satellite campus.
For more information about this and other ATTE programs, contact Peter Davis at (619) 473-0090 or pdavis@cccewd.net or go to www.ATTEColleges.org or www.fourenergy.org.
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Biotech Initiative Partners with Amgen
Human Therapeutics Company Focuses on Pipeline Programs
Amgen, a Fortune 500 company with more than 17,000 employees, is a leading international human therapeutics company in the biotechnology industry. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, Amgen also has a research facility in South San Francisco and a showcase manufacturing facility in Fremont.
Amgen is an avid supporter of biotechnology education and has been actively involved in its promotion in the Bay Area for years. The company advocates youth education and donates equipment and supplies to a number of neighboring high schools and community colleges. It also takes an active role in supporting the need to educate the future workforce by getting intimately involved in a variety of community programs. For example, Fremont's Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, Peggy Kraus, is a member of the Biotechnology Education and Training Alliance (BETA) Advisory Committee at Ohlone College. Kraus arranges plant tours with the aid of scientists and technical personnel, so that students can begin to explore this career pathway. Amgen personnel also volunteer as guest instructors at local schools, making presentations to students, or judging bioscience contests. College instructors are encouraged to consult with Amgen on safety procedures and needed skills to enhance and update their curriculum to meet the workforce needs of this industry. And, Amgen supports summer bridge biotechnology programs for high school students at Ohlone College which has resulted in many of graduates working in the manufacturing facility in Fremont.
"Amgen is very committed to science education and fostering the growth of the biotech industry," shared Kraus. Two of Amgen programs exemplify this commitment.
The Amgen Scholars is an international program open to undergraduate students, sophomores (with four quarters or three semesters of college experience) and up. After acceptance into this program, students have the opportunity to engage in a ten-week hands-on summer research experience with researchers at some of the world's leading universities such as Berkeley, Stanford and UCSF.
The second program is the Amgen Award for Science Teacher Excellence (AASTE). Every year, six awards are given to K-12 science teachers, and each teacher receives $5,000, with an additional $5,000 going to their school. A total of 34 awards are given out each year in the U.S. and Canada.
The Bay Area is an environment that provides wonderful opportunities for careers in science; Amgen is a proud example of the biotech industry's commitment to science education and the role they play in the development of a well-trained workforce. To learn more about the CCCEWD's California Applied Biotechnology Centers and their programs, go to www.cccbiotech.org or contact Jeff O'Neal at (916) 484-8052 or onealj@cccewd.net.
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Internship Program for Aspiring Scientists
Genencor's Investment in Student Education
Biotechnology is taking center stage as the world seeks renewable energy sources and sustainable technologies and products. The growth of this industry brings with it an increased workforce demand for scientists and lab technicians who meet the advanced job skills requirements.
Genencor, a leading global industrial biotech company, has been providing innovative solutions in the biotech industry for more than 25 years, and has a strong commitment to recruiting and training aspiring scientists through its forward thinking internship program. The program initially offered summer internships to students through San Mateo High School's Regional Occupational Program (ROP) in Biotech; however, with the rising demand for higher-skilled workers, it recently expanded its program to include students from Ohlone College.
Started in early 2010, the Ohlone College-Genencor internship program allows students to earn three credit units by working a maximum of 20 hours per week. Genencor's process technicians work directly with the interns in each of the assigned environments. "In the beginning stages of the program, technicians invest a lot of time teaching students but eventually they become more confident and begin working on their own," said Hugh Fox, a Genencor process technician. "That's the ultimate goal of the program-that we give aspiring scientists the tools they need to explore and discover this fascinating career path."
Genencor Operations Manager Sandi Woods is a member of Ohlone's Biotechnology Advisory Committee. Woods said, "It is such a wonderful experience for students to see the options they have as they prepare for their career. Talking with renowned scientists, engineers and technicians as they walk through Genencor's fermentation, recovery, formulation, media preparation and analytical laboratories motivates students to continue their scientific studies."
Woods hopes that by 2014, dozens of students will complete Genencor's internship program and find jobs in the biotech industry: "Creating a program that targets community college students has so much value, as we need to encourage our up-and-coming workforce to pursue more technical jobs."
To learn more about the CCCEWD's California Applied Biotechnology Centers and their programs, go to www.cccbiotech.org or contact Jeff O'Neal at (916) 484-8052 or onealj@cccewd.net.
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The Young Entrepreneurship Program
Preparing California's Up and Coming Stars
Despite America's lingering recession, its youth remain enthusiastic about one day becoming entrepreneurs. According to an online poll that was conducted on behalf of the Kauffman Foundation, 40 percent of youth aged eight to 24 indicated that they would someday like to start their own business.
The EWD's Business & Entrepreneurship Center (BEC) developed the Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), to prepare and guide the young entrepreneurial spirit in California and prepare students for this viable career path. The YEP delivers information about self-employment careers, as well as relevant education and entrepreneurial experiences, to young people between the ages of 14 and 27. The YEP helps these young students develop educational plans that will lead to both career and academic achievement, and ultimately result in a workforce that is more prepared to succeed in today's fast changing environment.
To learn more about the Business & Entrepreneurship Center (BEC) Program and the Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), go to www.CCCEWD.net/BEC or contact Michael Roessler at (916) 361-2964 or mroessler@cccewd.net.
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California's 21st Century Public Safety Workforce Pipeline
Building Capacity for In-Demand Jobs That
Can't Be Outsourced
According to the latest labor market projections from the Employment Development Department, occupations in public safety such as firefighters, environmental science and protection technicians, and emergency medical technicians and paramedics rank among California's top 100 fastest growing occupations with the most job openings. Students who aspire to have careers in the public safety sector must be prepared to succeed in a knowledge-based, globally competitive environment that is ethnically and culturally diverse and demands a sophisticated set of skills.
Because jobs in public safety cannot be outsourced, it is imperative that students have access to the training they need to meet the workforce demands. The Allan Hancock College is responding to this need with the construction of a state-of-the-art Public Safety Training Complex at its Lompoc Valley Center, which currently hosts the Central California
Environmental Training Center (ETC). The Public Safety Training Complex is a $46.2 million, 51,197 square-foot facility that has been meticulously designed to meet a variety of training and certification needs. The complex includes an emergency vehicle operations course, skid pad, a six-story fire training tower, a scenario village, confined space/trench rescue training facilities, shooting range, fitness track, obstacle course and more. The training complex will also feature more classrooms, laboratories, locker facilities and conference spaces than currently available in existing facilities. In total, the project spans 80 acres.
Allan Hancock College and the Central Callifornia ETC are confident that when the Public Safety Training Complex opens, new students and professionals from all over the state will be attracted to train and obtain their professional certifications at the facilities.
For more information about Allan Hancock College's Public Safety Training Complex, visit www.hancockcollege.edu. For more information about EWD's Environmental Training Centers and its programs, visit www.envtraining.org, or call Richard Della Valle at (925) 672-2209.
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Strengthening the Pipeline
Linking High School Science to the Healthcare Industry
The EWD's Health Workforce Initiative (HWI) supports creating a pipeline of workers that can meet the growing demands in the healthcare arena. One example is the Health and Science Pipeline Initiative (HASPI), which builds and implements middle and high school Health Career Pathway programs with a focus on contextualized curricula, industry partnerships and internships, program and professional development, and true collaboration across educational segments.
The HASPI began in San Diego County in 2006, in an effort to strengthen high school students' preparation for healthcare careers. The network of educational partners now extends statewide in all regions of California, with over 85 industry and 12 college/university partners in San Diego alone.
The key feature of the HASPI program is its foundation in core academic sciences to include Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, Medical Physiology, and Microbiology, in conjunction with elective and other core subject areas. These traditional courses are infused with health and medical themes that link students to career-related concepts, research, and terminology. "HASPI has a critically important role to play in building the capacity of our public schools to effectively prepare the next generation of health professionals in California," said Kevin Barnett, Senior Investigator, Public Health Institute and Co-Director, California Health Workforce Association.
State science test scores and survey results indicate that the HASPI model leads to improved science proficiency, increased awareness of the breadth of healthcare careers, and stronger linkages to and preparedness for college opportunities. It is a replicable and cost-effective solution to the challenges of engaging middle and high school students in both education and professional career pursuits.
For more information about the HASPI program, and to access the Internship Toolkit, go to www.HASPI.org or contact Janet Hoff Kneier, HASPI Program Manager, at janet.hoff@gcccd.edu or (619) 644-7815. For more on the HWI, go to www.ca-hwi.org or contact Linda Zorn at lzorn@CCCEWD.net.
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Aerospace Fastener Manufacturing
Building the Pipeline through Boot Camps
The Aerospace Fastener Manufacturing (AFM) industry is a global market that generates $6.5 billion in sales, and southern California is home to dozens of these manufacturers, including three of the world's largest. Southern California-based AFMs and distributors generate over $4.5 billion in global sales, nearly 70% of the total market. However, one of the biggest challenges faced by the AFM industry is the lack of enough skilled workers to meet growing market demands. To compound the problem, the largest portion of southern California's current workforce is comprised of individuals aged 48 to 57 years, with 16 to 20 years of experience, who will be retiring within the next 5 to 10 years. The ability to find skilled, new employees for the AFM industry threatens to hinder its growth and negatively impact the California economy.
To resolve this serious workforce dilemma, the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) at El Camino College partnered with the local manufacturing industry and other CACT Centers to determine the best strategies for developing a pipeline of skilled workers to meet the workforce demands. When CACT joined forces with the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI), an industry trade organization, they worked together to develop a boot-camp-style training program designed specifically for workers looking for employment with California-based AFMs. The first boot camp program graduated 23 students.
As a result of the success of the first boot camp, a variety of industry partners donated approximately $1 million in equipment and time to create a new Aerospace Fastener Manufacturing Technology Center located at the El Camino College Compton Educational Center. The California-based equipment donors include P.B. Fasteners of Gardena, Turncorp Inc. of Carson, Shafer Machinery of Santa Fe Springs, Bristol Industries of Brea and Alcoa Fastening Systems of Torrance. Johnson Gage Company of Bloomfield, CT, USA, donated thread measurement equipment, and IFI contributed $5,000 to training faculty on the new equipment. Other aerospace fastener manufacturers and suppliers such as The Phillips Screw Company have committed to support the center with donations as the need arises. "The addition of this equipment will help train students on equipment used in the industry and it will enable us to train students to meet an anticipated shortfall of skilled workers in aerospace fastener manufacturing," said Rodney Murray, Dean of Career & Technical Education at El Camino College Compton Educational Center.
A new cohort of 43 students is currently going through the training program and will graduate in June 2011. All industry partners have committed to interviewing every single student that completes the program for a potential job opportunity.
For more information please visit www.makingitincalifornia.com/aerospace. For more information on EWD's Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies, go to www.MakingItInCalifornia.com, or contact Jose Anaya at (310) 973-3165 or janaya@cccewd.net.
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Building Talent in New Media
Online Community and Workshops Building the Pipeline
Mobile Internet usage will outpace desktop Internet usage by 2014, as consumers purchase more smart phones and smart devices, according to research Morgan Stanley's Internet Analyst Mary Meeker. America's youth are contributing to this upward trend with the average young person aged 8 through 18 years old now spending practically every waking minute - except for the time they are in school - using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
This rise in access to the Internet and its multimedia content subsequently increases the demand for a workforce with technology skills in the areas of multimedia, entertainment, interactive web development and new media. In an effort to identify and meet California's workforce and economic development needs in these high-demand occupations, the EWD's New Media & Entertainment Initiative (NMEI) launched a series of workshops along with an online community aimed at building workforce talent.
The Interactive Internet & Mobile Applications for Business (iima4biz) curriculum and the Web4Biz.org community portal was developed in collaboration with ListenToSee, Inc., a technology consulting firm. "Our goal is to seek new ways to help businesses respond to Internet-based competition and filter through all the noise about social media," said NMEI State Director Steve Wright. "The workshop and online community are designed to help businesses become savvy consumers of interactive web-based applications and mobile technology and to help them appropriately apply these cost-effective strategies."
iima4biz is an intensive, five-module workshop that includes 15 hours of course curriculum and collaborative exercises on implementing interactive web, social media, and mobile tools. The workshop is conducted in a small-group environment and encourages interactive discussion of ways that businesses can apply new Internet and mobile tools to increase operational efficiency, improve customer service, and supplement marketing efforts. Participants in the workshop become members of the Web4Biz.org online community, a non-commercial portal that offers a place to network with workshop alumni, model proposals, and access news on the latest trends and tools available for Internet and mobile technology.
The first pilot workshops were held at the end of April 2011, with attendees from ten California businesses participating in open dialogues around their need to integrate new technologies into existing business practices. "I had no idea the depth of the social media situation," shared Paul Reilly, President of MasterGage, a Thousand Oaks based small manufacturer of precision tools. "It was an enlightening workshop and I am already making plans to implement some of the tools we discussed."
Businesses or individuals wishing to participate in upcoming workshops should visit www.web4biz.org to register for updates. For more information about The New Media & Entertainment Initiative visit http://www.cccewd.net/NMEI.
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Bridging the Leadership Gap
New Program Creates Workplace Leadership Skills
Companies today are facing unprecedented pressures to remain competitive while keeping up with a rapidly evolving workplace. More than ever, strong leaders are needed to prepare businesses and their employees for future success, but developing and maintaining those leadership skills is also a formidable challenge. According to a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, many organizations are facing a leadership gap that is expected to increase over the next five years.
The Workplace Learning Resource Centers (WpLRC) are committed to developing strong leaders through training programs including the Next Skills Institute, Generational Diversity, and their newest program, the Community College Leadership Academy (CCLA). Developed in collaboration with the WpLRC at Cuyamaca College, the East County Leadership Group, and the Ken Blanchard Foundation, the CCLA is based on the Ken Blanchard Foundation's "Situational Self Leadership" (SSL) training but has been adapted to meet the needs of the community college student preparing to enter the workplace. This program is designed for individuals wanting to learn the skills needed to become strong, responsible, and solution-driven leaders.
This is the first program of its kind to be developed for use at the community college level. Recognizing the importance of strong leaders, the CCLA concentrates on preparing students to complete their degree programs and enter the workplace. Director Linda Waring, WpLRC at Cuyamaca College, said, "As the economy shifts and we see a growth in the green economy, healthcare and technology sectors, we believe the community colleges are the perfect place to grow our future leaders. Since many of the programs are two-year or shorter, we are able to fill the leadership gaps quickly and develop leaders who can meet the needs of business today."
The CCLA model is adaptable to businesses and can be customized for any industry. To learn more, please contact Linda Waring, at linda.waring1@gcccd.edu or (619) 660-4508. For information about the network of WpLRC, visit www.wplrc.org.
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