Author: North Far North Regional Consortium

Built to Last: Shasta College Partnership Presents Career-Making Manufacturing Pathways for High Schoolers. 

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” as the saying goes. In stalwart Far-North industries like manufacturing, the dream of a diverse, competitive future workforce is wide awake thanks to a tireless team of employers, institutions, and instructors.

For employers in the Northern California manufacturing sector, the fate of the future depends on the effective deployment of career education. That’s why two Redding schools – Shasta College and Shasta High School – are teaming up to narrow the looming skills gap and create a dream scenario for the regional manufacturing workforce. 

“It’s wonderful to work with a school like Shasta High that is actively looking to partner with higher education and provide a pathway for student success,” says Rick Osbrink, Industrial Technology instructor at Shasta College. 

The collaboration couldn’t come at a more opportune time. The growing deficit between industry demand and supply of qualified workers could leave more than two million positions unfilled nationwide by 2030, according to a study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute. 

New, Extremely Useful Career Website Puts Regional CTE on the Map.
When is a website not just a website?
When it can transform regional career technical education, help boost enrollment during a downturn  and strengthen the local talent pipeline at a critical time. “Just in the North Far North, we have 70,000 unfilled jobs, and people will need to train for them,” says Blaine Smith, Executive Director of the North Far North Regional Consortium. “That’s no small feat.”
Enter the NFNRC’s new North State Careers website to help students plan educational journeys like never before. The site crunches regional labor market and salary information, then matches it to career training at the area’s 15 community colleges, showcasing centralized, easy-to-understand, and accurate data. “Some of the larger statewide tools will tell you what the state picture is, but that could be misleading for someone living in Siskiyou County, for instance,” says Smith. “I don’t know of any other site that links directly from occupations to programs and has information about available job openings and wages, all in one place.”

When Chicostart brought the tech industry partnership growTECH to Daniel Donnelly at the Butte College Create Space for a tour, expectations were high for a flurry of meaningful connections and innovative ideas. That is precisely what happened!

Chuck Nadeau, the owner of MC Fiber Solutions in Chico, discovered a way to overcome a product development challenge to save his business and customers’ money. Nadeau had prototyped a part with Chicostart’s 3D printer that looked like it could solve his problem but needed help and a larger production plan to make it effective for his business. “The growTECH tour of the Butte College Create Space really made my wheels spin with new opportunities for utilizing all of the available tools to solve challenges with some of my products,” Nadeau said.

He was able to use Create Space’s 3D printers to print multiple batches of his product at a time. During one of the batch jobs, a Create Space technician discovered a way to increase his output from 13 to 72 batches at a time. It took an hour to modify the print file, and they enjoyed being part of improving the process.

The number of students in public K-12 schools in fall 2021 fell 2% below projected levels, meaning about 833,000 fewer seats were filled and a higher education sector already bracing for an enrollment cliff now faces heightened risks

Still, overall declines in K-12 students and high school graduates are generally regarded as downward pressure on the higher ed sector’s enrollment and financial prospects.

The number of high school graduates for the classes of 2020 and 2021 were relatively stable, the report finds. That aligns with other research suggesting pandemic-era declines in college enrollment are driven by changing student behavior, not a drop in the number of high school graduates available to matriculate at colleges.

Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines even after returning to in-person classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields from health care to information technology. For those who forgo college, it usually means lower lifetime earnings — 75% less compared with those who get bachelor’s degrees, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. And when the economy sours, those without degrees are more likely to lose jobs. Economists say the impact could be dire.

Now Available – February 2023 Rostrum

In this issue of rostrum, hear from faculty about issues impacting noncredit students, updates on the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Program, and continued discussions on AB 705 (Irwin, 2017), AB 1705 (Irwin, 2021) and AB 1111 (Berman, 2021).

Disciplines List Revision Process: 2023-2024 Cycle

In February, the process for formally reviewing the Disciplines List, which establishes the minimum qualifications for the faculty of California community colleges, was initiated. The ASCCC is currently accepting proposals to revise the Disciplines List for the 2023-2024 cycle. As a reminder, the review process is now an annual process. The deadline for submission of proposals is September 30, 2023. Proposals received after the deadline may be held for the 2024-2025 cycle.

Such a review was completed in spring 2022 for Native American/American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies, and Nanotechnology; all proposals were accepted and recommended for inclusion in the Minimum Qualifications Handbook.

Please visit the ASCCC Disciplines list webpage for to access resources to assist you with your proposal, the Disciplines List Proposal Timeline, and the Submission Form.

The RP Group’s Leading from the Middle (LFM) program, in partnership with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, invites you to apply for a 2023-24 LFM Academy!

LFM provides college teams with a unique opportunity to have a dedicated space for cultivating leadership skills and knowledge, gaining new mindsets, and learning from one another, all while getting dedicated support from an LFM coach throughout the Academy.

During the 15-month Academy, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Engage in experiential learning to explore effective leadership strategies.
• Formulate and articulate a collective and individual equity-minded leadership identity.
• Develop and implement a project that advances systemic equity-focused, student-centered reform efforts and aligns with their colleges’ strategic priorities and the Vision for Success.
• Apply leadership skills and strategies to their day-to-day work and LFM project.
• Examine data, research, and other forms of evidence to make informed decisions to advance their LFM project.
• Create sustainable professional relationships where peers share ideas and strategies around equity and transformative change.
• Work with a designated coach who will support and provide guidance throughout the LFM Academy.

Selected college teams will participate in the following online and in-person activities:

• Virtual onboarding activities (fall 2023)
• Three 2.5-day in-person convenings (fall 2023, spring 2024, and fall 2024, in Pomona, CA)
• Scheduled monthly phone calls with an assigned LFM coach (fall 2023 – fall 2024)
• Two in-person campus visits where teams get to be face-to-face with their assigned LFM coach (dates TBD)
• Virtual sustainability planning activities (fall 2024)

Learn more and apply for the Learning from the Middle Academy. Applications are due by 11:59 pm on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Any questions? Please reach out to Ireri Valenzuela, Director, Leading from the Middle

Press Release-January26,2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Feather River College, with its strong history of developing and enhancing strategies to improve learning and advance equitable placement, along with Victor Valley College, whose multipronged approach to student support is steadily improving student success, have been named this year’s John W. Rice Equity and Student Success award recipients.

A newly established Legislative Equity Award was presented to state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) in honor of her commitment to community colleges and reducing equity barriers for Dreamers and other underrepresented students.

Representatives of the colleges (photos below) were presented with the awards at a ceremony this week in Sacramento. Lake Tahoe Community College earned an honorable mention in the college equity award category.

The awards focus on the progress colleges are making in reforming remedial education. The California Community Colleges has seen significant increases in the number of students completing transfer-level English and math courses as a result of the implementation of AB 705.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to congratulate Feather River College, Victor Valley College, and Lake Tahoe Community College for setting the standard in advancing equitable placement goals and objectives and to Sen. Limón for her unwavering commitment to community colleges,” said Board of Governors President Amy Costa. “Their work truly is exemplary.”

Cosumnes River College’s Fire Technology program demonstrated their 20 newly-acquired virtual reality headsets in the Winn Center on Monday.
Interim Dean of Health and Human Services Kris Hubbard said he collaborated with American River College for a
$200,000 regional workforce grant to get the new training technology. The headsets allow students in the program to experience how to handle hostile situations for firefighters without being put in danger.
“This will give us the opportunity to show them first, talk to them first and then we can reinforce that by then going into the live fire,” said Fire Technology Coordinator Richard Haas. Haas said prior to the VR headsets, the training consisted of “hands-on” training and “instructional videos” and will still be part of CRC’s Fire Technology program.

Fund Your Small Business Event

This No Cost event is for any small business owners in Tehama County:

The Women’s Business Center at JEDI, the Corning Chamber of Commerce, and the Butte College Small Business Development Center are hosting the Fund Your Small Business Event at Rodgers Theater, 1217 Solano Street, Corning, CA, 96021, on February 23, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Cost: FREE.

This event is designed to connect local small business owners and entrepreneurs in the Tehama County community to capital and financing that fit their needs.

• Loan Readiness
• Loan and Grant Products for Small Business Owners
• Funding Your Startup

Featured Speakers Include WBC at JEDI advisors, local banking institutions, alternative lenders, and additional resources for small business owners.

Agenda:

Welcome Presentation 11:00-11:15

Bank Panel 11:15-12:00

Mission-Based Lenders 12:00-12:30

Networking & Refreshments 12:30-1:00

Learn more and register by visiting our website: https://www.wbcjedi.org/events or call 1-888-926-6670

Dan Zuno,  3CORE, Inc. , Relationship Manager – Butte/Tehama/Glenn

2515 Ceanothus Ave. Ste 105, Chico, CA 95973  / Office: 530-893-8732 x207 / Office Hours: Mon – Thurs 8a to 5p

www.3coreedc.org , dzuno@3coreedc.org

CCCAOE’s Spring 2023 Conference will focus on Belonging, Connectedness, Student-Centered Strategies, Work-based Learning, Community Partnerships

Visit CCCAOE.org for all the Spring Conference details! You will find everything Spring 2023 Conference under the Professional Development drop-down menu.

The spring conference will kick off on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 8:30 am at the Convention Center in Sacramento

Pre-conference sessions on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.  Visit the website to register and book your room.

The California Community College Association for Occupational Education (CCCAOE) is seeking nominations for open Board positions.  Deadline to submit for consideration: February 10, 2023. Elections will be held March 1-11, 2023.

The following positions are up for election for Los Angeles, North Far North, San Francisco Bay Area and South Central Coast Regions.

President-Elect, Communications Officer, Regional Vice President

Learn More Here                 Nomination Form

In response to how important they believe it is for employers and community colleges to partner to produce a work-ready workforce, 59% of employers and 98% of community colleges said it was “very important,” with 32% of employers and 2% of community colleges saying it was “somewhat important.” The 82-page report — which is based on a comprehensive look at community college/business workforce development partnerships that includes research, interviews and surveys with community college and business leaders — found that many community colleges don’t feel employers are engaged enough with them, making it difficult to determine the education and training needed for quality middle-skill jobs. For example, college officials indicate they struggle to get employers involved in curriculum development or to provide information on how needed skills are changing.

Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP)

• LAEP Highlight: LAEP Student participates in Student Impact Outreach and Communications Committee Meeting on 11/30/2022
  • One of the first students to participate in the Learning-Aligned Employment Program is a City College of San Francisco student who is participating in work-based learning at UCSF in the healthcare field.  She shared how her UCSF internship has impacted her academic and personal life, as well as her career plans.  You can listen to her here – starting at 34 minutes into the meeting recording.

Do you have a LAEP success story or best practice to share? Each month, the LAEP team will share LAEP Highlights with the mailing list. Please email laep@csac.ca.gov to submit a highlight for the newsletter.

• WebGrants is live!  If you need access to WebGrants, please contact your institution’s System Administrator.  If you do not know who that is, please email laep@csac.ca.gov.
• Recorded Webinar:  LAEP Data Reporting in WebGrants – Listen to a replay of this webinar which is posted on our  website.

• LAEP Drop-in Q&A – The LAEP team holds weekly drop-in Q&A hours. The upcoming times and Zoom link are below. Do you have questions? We have answers! Do you have suggestions? We want to hear them! Just want to hear what others have to say about the program? Come on by! These sessions are informal and are not recorded. Open to all and no registration is required. Don’t forget to add this to your calendar if you’re interested!

LAEP Drop-in Q&A Hours

Friday, 1/6/23 (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.)   Wednesday, 1/18/23 (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.)

Thursday, 1/26/23 (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.)    Wednesday, 2/1/23 (1 p.m. – 2 p.m.)

Tuesday, 2/14/23 (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.)     Thursday, 2/23/23 (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.)

Join here:  CSAC’s LAEP Meeting Room        https://csac-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/7736671544         Meeting ID: 773 667 1544

Thank you all so much for your interest and participation in the public comment period and listening sessions for the CERF Economic Development Pilot Projects. Based on your feedback, we’ve made changes to the program name and updates to the timeline and application requirements. The full announcement of modifications can be found on the EDD Workforce Services Branch Information Notice.

A recording of the Economic Development Pilot Projects Overview and Framework is now available if you missed the listening sessions last month or would like to reference the presentation.

We appreciate all the collaboration this year, and are excited to continue working together in the new year!

Get Involved in CERF

If you are interested in participating or learning more about your region’s planning process, feel free to check out our CERF Get Involved webpage. The webpage includes information about the High Road Transition Collaboratives (HRTCs) and contacts within your region.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions, please email Fabiha Zaman, Fabiha.Zaman@OPR.CA.GOV. For more information and resources on the CERF Program, please visit the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research website.

The California Workforce Development Board and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency present the Healthcare High Road Training Partnerships (Healthcare HTRP) Informational Sessions.

As a core component of a new and innovative collaboration between California’s Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) and the Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), CWDB’s Healthcare HRTP funding will invest in deep partnerships and aligned programs to create multiple pathways and collaborations for the recruitment, training, hiring and advancement of an ethnically- and culturally-inclusive allied health workforce. The goal is to address workforce shortages in allied health, increase diversity, language, and cultural competence, and create pathways to family-sustaining jobs.

The three-webinar series will present best practices in allied healthcare training, current labor market trends in healthcare, and updated solicitation criteria and application guidance for the Healthcare HRTPs.

Save the Dates for these informative sessions:

January 10, 2023, 2:00-3:00 pm/PST    Best Practices in Allied Healthcare Training    Register Here

January 24, 2023, 10:00-11:30 am/PST    How to Apply for HRTP Funding    Register Here

January 26, 2023,2:00-3:00 pm/PST     Current Healthcare Workforce Market Trends and Analysis    Registration link to follow soon

Stay tuned for more information regarding the first installment in our webinar series.  Want to be on our distribution list? Please send your request to HighRoadField@cwdb.ca.gov

CCCAOE Spring 2023 Conference

Spring 2023 Conference will focus on Belonging, Connectedness, Student-Centered Strategies, Work-based Learning, Community Partnerships, hearing the voices of those who aren’t being heard, and HIGHLIGHTING the tremendously innovative work that is happening all across the state.

Dates: April 19, 2023-April 21, 2023

Pre-Conference Sessions on April 18, 2022

Visit our Website to register and book your rooms

Visit CCCAOE.org for all the details! You will find everything Spring 2023 Conference under the Professional Development drop-down menu.

Submit your Breakout Session Proposals Now!

Deadline is January 30, 2023

CCCAOE invites proposals that foster discovery and problem-solving through idea-sharing and community building. CCCAOE strongly encourages proposals that include a panel of presenters, voices of students, and sessions that give practical tools to take back to campuses. The sessions should be INNOVATIVE and FRESH.

Visit our Website for all the details and to submit your proposal

The California Community College Association for Occupational Education (CCCAOE) is seeking nominations for open Board positions.

Nominations close on February 10, 2023

Nominees will be published on February 16, 2023

Elections will be held March 1 – 11, 2023

Nomination Form            Learn More Here

That’s the estimated deficit Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers will confront when crafting a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal advisor announced Wednesday.

The projection marks a stunning reversal from back-to-back years of unprecedented prosperity: The budget for California’s current fiscal year clocked in at a whopping $308 billion, fueled by a record $97 billion surplus that was by itself enough to treat every state resident to a $7,500 vacation. The year before, Newsom and lawmakers approved what was at the time a record-busting $263 billion budget that included a $76 billion surplus.

Although the outlook is sobering — not since the Great Recession have California’s revenue estimates been so weak, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office — it could be worse, in ways both good and bad

That uncertainty has put the financial viability of some colleges at risk. But the crush of pandemic-fueled changes has also pushed the system to a point that may force the colleges to re-imagine themselves in ways that jibe with students’ priorities and needs. A survey of former California community college students found that one-third haven’t re-enrolled because they’ve prioritized work. At the same time, 22% said they have prioritized taking care of family or other dependents. Another 29% said they struggled to keep up with their classes. The survey was conducted by the RP Group, a nonprofit research center.

https://edsource.org/2022/california-community-colleges-eye-a-different-future-amid-pandemic-disruption/681483

According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, working from home for some portion of the week has become the new normal for a large segment of Californians. The data shows high-income employees with college degrees are more likely to have access to this hybrid work model, while lower-income employees stay the course with on-site responsibilities and daily commutes. The U.S. Census Bureau interviewed roughly 260,000 Americans from June through October, including about 20,000 Californians, as part of a wide-ranging questionnaire called the Household Pulse Survey. Surveyors asked dozens of questions about pandemic-era lifestyle changes, including some about working from home.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/A-work-from-home-culture-is-taking-root-in-17611360.php

Chico, CA:  The Governor’s Office of Business (Go-BIZ) California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) has announced grant awards to recipients of the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SB TAP, formerly named SB Technical Assistance Expansion Program). Chicostart is pleased to announce that we are 1 of 100+ Technical Assistance Centers in California awarded for “support of our business consulting and training services in the area of underserved business groups, including women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses and businesses in low-wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities”. This funding granted to Chicostart will make an impact in the local area by supplying more tools and resources to help entrepreneurs start, grow and thrive in those local underserved business groups.

Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director, Chicostart says, “We are humbled and thrilled that Chicostart was awarded this grant to expand our existing efforts throughout our region. We already offer one-on-one counseling to entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. However, this funding will enable our organization to further expand education and training services for those underserved in our area.” 

For media inquiries about the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) grant or to learn more about Chicostart services, please contact Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director of Chicostart at eva@chicostart.com.

Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) District announces an exciting professional opportunity to manage California’s growing need for firefighters, forestry professionals, and other first responders as the new Director of Forestry, Fire and Public Safety. This position will support LTCC in increasing the number of students and certificates and degrees earned served in forestry, fire and public safety training programs and ensuring graduates obtain jobs in high-demand fields in the Tahoe Basin, California and across the country.

The Director of Forestry, Fire and Public Safety position is categorically-funded pursuant to Education Code 87470 and will collaborate with the Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction to identify and secure highly-qualified Public Safety program faculty and instructional aides, and coordinate Forestry Education programming. Additionally, the Director will be responsible for the coordination of all administrative aspects of Fire Science, Fire Academy, Allied Health/Emergency Medical Services, Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Officer training, and assist with Wilderness Education/Search and Rescue programs – including securing and managing equipment and training spaces, and managing grant funds related to programs.

https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/viewPosting.aspx?postingID=122426

Putting Students first for California’s Future

California Community Colleges looks forward to working with our new legislators in promoting California students’ needs.

On this exciting day for new California legislators being sworn in today, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office extends its congratulations for this momentous milestone and the start of a successful legislative year.

 As new lawmakers embark on an expedition for a meaningful legislative legacy, the Chancellor’s Office urges policymakers to keep the California Community Colleges top of mind. As the state’s largest higher education system, serving 1.8 million students at 116 colleges, California Community Colleges are critical to being a solution to the most pressing issues facing Californians today, including:

• Improving the quality of life, social and economic mobility for students and their families.
• Helping meet the state’s workforce demands by supporting 1.5 million jobs. For perspective, the activities of the colleges and their students support one out of every 16 jobs in California.
• Offering a high-quality education in every corner of our state, offering flexible and state-of-the-art education to our state’s most diverse student population.

It is an exciting time for the California Community Colleges as the system is closely aligned with the state’s efforts. The Governor’s Roadmap for the Future in collaboration with the state legislature, works in lockstep with the California Community College’s Vision for Success goals, helping to further efforts to uplift our students, close equity gaps and meet our bold and audacious goals.

 The growth and success of our student’s educational trajectories cannot happen without the partnership and investments from our state leaders.

The California Community Colleges looks forward to working alongside the new class of freshmen to continue to champion policies that champion equity and propel our state’s economic footing. Welcome!

Interested in learning more about the California Community College experience? Listen to Chancellor Dr. Daisy Gonzales latest podcast.

Link to all of the materials to print

The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office is pleased to announce the release of the EEO Innovative Best Practices Grant RFA.

 Background:

The 2021 Budget Postsecondary Education Trailer Bill (AB 132) appropriated $20 million in one-time funding “for allocation to community college districts to support the implementation of best practices for success in promoting equal employment opportunity and faculty and staff diversity at California community colleges, using the Multiple-Methods model identified by the Chancellor of the California Community College’s EEO and Diversity Advisory Committee.” These funds were designated for the “EEO Best Practices Fund” of which approximately $15,500,000 was apportioned to eligible districts during the 2021-2022 academic year through the First Principal Apportionment (P1). The RFA has been reviewed by, and incorporates input from, the EEO and Diversity Advisory Committee.

Request for Application-Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Innovative Best Practices Grants

Research for the December 2022 economic update indicates that the North/Far North region has experienced robust growth in key sectors. Unemployment rates are still below pre-pandemic levels, and they show no sign of impending mass layoffs. Key findings are as follows:

Unemployment— In September, the Greater Sacramento (North) region had an average unemployment rate of 3.4%. In the Far North, the average rate climbed slightly to 3.8%. The rate in California was 3.9%.

Labor Force— In September, the labor force for the North was 3.9% larger than in January 2018. The Far North’s labor force has mostly recovered since August 2022 but remains 2% smaller than in January 2018.The North/Far North Center of Excellence is sharing a quarterly report on job postings, unemployment, industry measures, and other real-time data. The COE sends out a condensed version of the economic update in the COE North/Far North newsletter and a separate COE North/Far North newsletter.

Download the December 2022 COE economic update here.

Sign up here to receive the economic update and COE newsletter in your email inbox. 

SUMMARY 

Industry Trends— Most sectors in the North/Far North continued to grow through the summer of 2022. Retail and health care’s employment remained at pre-pandemic levels. Hospitality continued to recover from pandemic-related job losses–the figures are dramatically higher than at the same time in 2021, especially in the North. Construction and transportation and logistics remained the fastest-growing sectors in the region. Manufacturing continues robust growth in the Far North. 

Jobs Postings— A quarterly analysis of jobs postings volumes shows that in many sectors these volumes continue to increase beyond pre-pandemic levels, though a few sectors are experiencing downturns, notably the construction sector. The downturn was likely caused by the downturn in the housing market.

Report Spotlights—The COE released a multi-region report on the construction industry based on a major employer survey. The report and a webinar contain key findings on skill needs and reveal significant challenges recruiting qualified workers. The Greater Sacramento (North) region COE released a report on the early childhood education industry, and found that wages, job quality, and equity pose concerns for workforce development. The industry operates with chronic workforce shortages that worsened during the pandemic. 

To review these reports and other recent reports please visit the Greater Sacramento and Far North sections of the COE website:

https://coeccc.net/region/greater-sacramento/ 

https://coeccc.net/region/far-north/ 

Submitted by: Aaron Wilcher, Director, North/Far North Center of Excellence, WilcheA@losrios.edu 

The North Far North Regional Consortium (NFNRC) is excited to share the Beta launch of our North Far North Careers website. The site showcases occupations in the region’s priority industries and aligned career technical education programs offered at area community colleges.

We are reaching out to you today to ask for your perspectives on the website and the information presented there. The feedback you provide will help inform future development activities and ensure program data are accurate and reflective of the range of programs offered at area community colleges.

We invite you to explore the site and then complete a short survey about your experience. Respondents who provide their contact information will be entered into an Amazon gift card drawing. The survey should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Links to an FAQ, the website, and survey are below.

Project FAQ (com/nfncareers)

• North State Careers Website (https://northstatecareers.org/)
• Survey Link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/35C7NFR)

Responses are requested by no later than December 2, 2022.

For answers to other frequently asked questions about the website, please see the About page at https://northstatecareers.org/about/. For other questions or to learn more about the project, feel free to reach out directly to Erin Carter at ecarter@wested.org.

The First Look released by the Clearinghouse shows a significant increase in enrollment in fall 2022 in dual enrollment (students who are under 18), up 9.8% from Fall 2021. The increase is notable and significant given how the First Look finds that college enrollments continued to decline as a whole.
In recent semesters, enrollments in dual enrollment have tracked quite similarly to postsecondary enrollments as a whole – often down, though not down by nearly as much as postsecondary enrollments as a whole. The Fall 2022 First Look’s finding of dual enrollment growth of 9.8% from Fall 2021, if confirmed as additional data comes in, will likely wipe out a large swath of the enrollment declines experienced during COVID in dual enrollment students.
In addition, the Clearinghouse credits dual enrollment for significantly blunting the declines in enrollment in two-year institutions. According to the First Look, “Declines at community colleges have slowed substantially to 0.4 percent over last fall, driven entirely by the growth of both dual-enrolled high school students (+11.5%) and 18- to 20-year-old students (+1.4%).”
The latest data continues to show the growing importance of college in high school programs to the higher education sector, and community colleges in particular, and therefore how important it is that policy and practice be properly aligned to support student access and success.

Stay Informed

Last week, the Community Economic Resilience Fund Program (CERF) announced the first round of awards for the CERF Planning Phase. The announcement includes 11 of the 13 CERF regions. Awardees were selected through a competitive bidding process based on their readiness and commitment to conduct inclusive planning processes that engage various community groups, including voices that have been traditionally left out of economic planning.

LAEP Highlight: CASFAA Conference 2022

Representatives from participating UC, CSU and CCC campuses gathered for a panel discussion on LAEP implementation in the 2022-23 AY. Rachel Mason, California State University Chico; Dr. Bobbi Makani, San Jose State University, Lilibeth Rodriguez, San Diego Community College District; and Laura Trax, University of California San Diego provided helpful best practices for other participating institutions:

• Develop a campus-wide workgroup and meet regularly
• Establish the LAEP Coordinator as a centralized point-of-contact for LAEP on your campus
• Collaborate with other campuses to share job descriptions, employer contacts, etc.
• Send suggestions and feedback to CSAC at laep@csac.ca.gov

Do you have a LAEP success story or best practice to share? Each month, the LAEP team will share LAEP Highlights with the mailing list. Please email laep@csac.ca.gov to submit a highlight for the newsletter.

• November Webinar:  LAEP Data Reporting in WebGrants – Please join us for our next webinar on Tuesday, November 29^th, 2022:  2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Register for this webina
• LAEP Drop-in Q&A – The LAEP team holds weekly drop-in Q&A hours. The upcoming times and Zoom link are below. Do you have questions? We have answers! Do you have suggestions? We want to hear them! Just want to hear what others have to say about the program? Come on by! These sessions are informal and are not recorded. Open to all and no registration is required. Don’t forget to add this to your calendar if you’re interested!

LAEP Drop-in Q&A Hours

Wednesday, 11/9  (1 p.m. – 2 p.m.)           Wednesday, 11/16 (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.)          Monday, 11/21 (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.)

Tuesday, 11/29 (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.)               Thursday, 12/15 (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.)

Join here:  CSAC’s LAEP Meeting Room (**Note this is a new meeting room beginning 11/1**)

https://csac-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/773667154              Meeting ID: 773 667 1544

One tap mobile  +16694449171, US  Meeting ID: 773 667 1544

The California Workforce Pathways Joint Advisory Committee (CWPJAC), in collaboration with the State Board of Education, the California Department of Education (CDE), and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Chancellor’s Office), invites you to participate in a public review of the Draft California State Plan for Career and Technical Education (CTE). This strategic plan and call to action sets forth a student-centered vision for the future of high-quality CTE in the State of California.

Please follow California Workforce Pathways – General Information (CA Dept of Education) to review the Draft California State Plan for Career Technical Education and submit comments.

The public comment period will be open until Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. During the open public comment period, written comments can be submitted to the California Department of Education, by email at CTESP2022@cde.ca.gov. In your public comment email, please provide the following information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• E-mail
• Organization you represent and job title, if applicable
• The specific page number and section on which the comment is being made must be stated.

Once the public comment period closes, the CDE and the Chancellor’s Office will compile the comments and provide a final draft of the California State Plan for Career Technical Education at a future CWPJAC meeting for approval.

We look forward to your participation in this public review process.

October 25, 2022 Memo

We are happy to announce the new CCAP agreement submission process is now available to submit your CCAP documents. The new process was designed to assist colleges/college districts in submitting CCAP documents in a more streamlined way. With the new process you will be able to complete the CCAP agreement form, upload your CCAP documents and receive an automatic acknowledgment of receipt along with a pdf copy of the form and documents you submitted. We hope this process will assist you in your daily work.

To submit your 2022 CCAP agreement documents, please use the Fall 2022 Alchemer CCAP link below and review important details regarding the new process.

• Fall 2022 Alchemer CCAP Agreement Submission Link | CCAP Agreement Submission Link
• • Use the Fall 2022 link to submit any new fully executed Fall 2022 CCAP agreements, updated appendix or an amendment to a CCAP partnership agreement
  • SAMPLE pdf Survey is attached for your reference. Please note, the pdf is to be used as a reference only and is not to be submitted. Questions are set up with logic to show groups of questions based on a previous answer.
• CCAP Agreement User Guide PowerPoint and Recording Link | User Guide PowerPoint Recording Link
• • After clicking on the link, select the play button in the middle of the page to start the User Guide PowerPoint and Recording
•  Link to Accessible Transcript of the User Guide PowerPoint and Recording | CCAP Agreement Submission User Guide Transcript
• Spring 2023 Alchemer Link Details
• • A new link for Spring 2023 with Assembly Bill 102 College and Career Access Pathways Partnerships additions will be sent to CCAP Program Contacts in early December 2022
    • AB 102 amends sections 48800 and 76004 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges and CCAP
• Future Alchemer Link Details
  • New links will be sent to CCAP Program Contacts every May for the following academic year

Should you have any questions regarding the new process and/or need technical assistance, please send an email to ccapp@CCCCO.edu.

UPDATES!

CCCAOE Leadership 1.0 wants to give you a boost as you head into the new year!  Plus let’s face it, at this point in the semester, San Diego is calling.  The dates are January 10-13, 2023.  More information on Leadership 1.0.  Register and book a room.

Want to learn more about how the election could impact education? Purpose Politics: Election Edition is your chance with both pre- and post-election options that are included in your membership.  Please RSVP so the appropriate Bandwidth is available.  Flyer

Connecting Law Enforcement to Students

Representing

FOLSOM POLICE DEPARTMENT,  ELK GROVE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ROSEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT,

SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, TRACY POLICE DEPARTMENT,

WEST SAC POLICE DEPARTMENT LOS RIOS POLICE DEPARTMENT, SAC STATE POLICE DEPARTMENT

November 17, 2022 at 5:30 pm

American River College Student Center

4700 College Oak Drive, Sacramento Ca 95841

Appetizers will be available

Informational Flyer

Join Us November 16 for a Virtual Event on Inclusive Healthcare Apprenticeships

Healthcare workers care for all of us during some of the toughest chapters in our lives. California is investing in this industry by creating more earn-and-learn pathways into these essential careers.

Join us November 16 from 12:30-2:00 pm PST during the 8th annual National Apprenticeship Week and learn about the innovative investments our state has made, including over $230M this year into apprenticeship specifically, along with $1.8B into developing the healthcare workforce!

Register Today !
https://dir-ca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jFZvIkJgQnuJ67ORKR-9Eg#/registration

The Community Economic Resilience Fund Program (CERF) team has released the Economic Diversification Pilot Projects Framework for public comment. The Framework outlines a plan for economic diversification pilot projects – projects that align with the values of the CERF program and that demonstrate potential uses of CERF implementation funds – and includes information about funding amount, timeline, eligibility, grant requirements, project criteria, and more.

The Framework can be found on the Employment Development Department Workforce Services Branch website. EDD will accept all public comments submitted by Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Submit all comments to WSBCERF@edd.ca.gov. Please include “Economic Diversification Pilot Public Comments” in the email subject line.

The public comment period will be accompanied by three listening sessions to share an overview of the Framework and to collect feedback. The CERF team will host listening sessions in Northern California, Central and Inland California, and Southern California.

CERF Economic Diversification Pilot Projects Framework Listening Session Registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with more details.

Northern California Listening Session 

Wednesday, November 16 | 10 a.m.-11 a.m.

CERF Regions: Redwood Coast, North State, Sacramento, and Bay Area

Registration Link: https://governorca.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlduCtqzIrEtCZ87UoQp5fw533APuL24G2

If you have any questions, please email Fabiha Zaman, Fabiha.Zaman@OPR.CA.GOV.

Join REL West for a webinar November 17, 2022 at 9:00 am on how to link data and measurement to logic model components in order to ensure alignment between activities, outputs, and measures. Presenters will share a process for how to do this as well as an example of how an organization used the process in their work.

As a result of this webinar, participants will:
-Have a greater understanding of the purpose of logic models.
-Have a greater understanding about how to effectively link data and measurement to each logic model component.

Who should attend:
State education agency staff, local education agency staff, and community-based and non-profit organizations who want to use logic models to ensure programmatic activity leads to specific and identified outcomes that can be evaluated.

https://wested.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c29GeZalRc2bd3hXc9lntA

Chico, CA – NOVEMBER 10, 2022:  Chicostart will mark Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) on November 14-20 by hosting workshops for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses throughout the North State. Chicostart has also partnered their local iHUB2 (Inclusive Innovation Hub Program) to bring visibility to their small business webinars during GEW.

GEW is an international movement, powered by the Global Entrepreneurship Network with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, dedicated to making it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a company. Each November, GEW celebrates and empowers millions of entrepreneurs in every country and community around the world.

A number of activities will take place through Chicostart November 15th, 16th and 17th. These events will be hosted in a hybrid or virtual only format.  Attendees may register for “in person” or attend virtually.

Students evaluate internships and experiential learning opportunities, including virtual roles that the pandemic made more widely available, and how stronger partnerships and other efforts would help.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/23/students-internship-experiences-how-they-want-colleges-help

Study: Students with disabilities in inclusive classes achieved at higher levels

The two studies’ findings seem to validate what federal special education law requires — that students with disabilities attend classes in the least restrictive environment to the extent possible — and what many special education professionals and advocates say is important for providing equitable educational opportunities.

https://www.k12dive.com/news/study-shows-benefits-of-inclusive-classes-for-students-with-disabilities/632530/

At the time of our May outlook, we cautioned that economic indicators were suggesting a slowdown could be on the horizon. More recent economic data has continued to point in this direction. Consistent with this, our updated estimates suggest collections from the state’s “big three” taxes—personal income, sales, and corporation taxes—are more likely than not to fall below the Budget Act assumption of $210 billion.

North Far North very own Feather River College is in the final stages of approval for a second baccalaureate program. Two more baccalaureate programs have been approved at California community colleges, the college system’s Board of Governors learned at a meeting Tuesday. Bachelor’s degrees in respiratory care at El Camino College and automotive technology management at De Anza College recently received full approval. Additionally, seven other programs have received provisional approval but still must receive approval from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

https://edsource.org/updates/more-baccalaureate-programs-coming-to-california-community-colleges

A new approach to closing the cyber workforce talent gap

Recognizing the problem, the Department of Homeland Security recently announced a new state and local cybersecurity grant program that will award $1 billion in funds over the next four years. That’s on top of the billions in unspent homeland security grants awarded to states and local governments that could be spent to improve cyber risk management.

But states and localities, like the federal government, will continue to struggle to manage cyber risks if they don’t have the workers needed to fill key positions. Addressing the nation’s cyber workforce challenge will require new approaches at the federal and state level to improve training and help prepare future workers for careers in cybersecurity.

https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3662151-a-new-approach-to-closing-the-cyber-workforce-talent-gap/

A Series of 4 Webinars That Will Improve Your Employment Outcomes with the Hard-to-Employ!
Sponsored by the California Workforce Association
Presented by Larry Robbin

You are struggling with more difficult barriers to employment than ever before. You need the new, powerful and faster strategies in these webinars that will take people from being hard-to-employ to saying, “I got the job!” No matter what population you serve, your type of program or your job title, if you want hard-to-employ youth and adults to get employed in less time, don’t miss these webinars! These webinars will be sold out. Register now! For full descriptions, please click HERE

A new study explores why students drop out of college or choose not to enroll.

A new study suggests that students choose to stop out of college and others choose not to enroll in the first place because of a range of “psychographics,” or psychological factors, including doubts about the financial returns of a college education and an awareness of other career training options outside traditional degree programs.

People had a variety of reasons for not attending or completing college, including but not limited to financial barriers. The study found that 38 percent of students didn’t enroll because of fears about the cost of college and amassing debt, 27 percent felt college would be “too stressful” or “too much pressure,” 26 percent believed it was more important to work and earn money, and 25 percent felt uncertainty about their career trajectories and what they wanted to study

A higher wage job is one that earns an income sufficient to meet the cost of living needed to sustain a household with one adult and two children, one older and one younger. That income threshold is regionally adjusted to reflect the varying cost of living across California and was set by the United Way of California.

The following chart shows the percentage of jobs that are higher wage jobs in a given region in 2019. Notably areas of Inland California with a lower cost of living do relatively well. In terms of the percentage of all employment, the Sacramento region had the highest rate of higher wage jobs at 43%, while the Los Angeles region had the lowest, at 23%.

Good news on the legislative front.   AB 102 has been signed by the governor! This bill does several important things:

• Extends the provisions authorizing CCAP partnerships indefinitely 
• Remove the 10% statewide limit for full-time equivalent students claimed as special admits.
• Specifies that “high school,” for purposes of a CCAP partnership, includes a community school, juvenile court school, or adult education program – so important for reaching the students CCAPs were intended for!
• Authorizes county offices of education to enter into CCAP partnerships with the governing boards of community college districts

AB 102 is effective January 2023

The California Workforce Pathways Joint Advisory Committee, in collaboration with the State Board of Education, the California Department of Education, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, invites you to participate in a public review of the Draft California State Plan for Career and Technical Education (CTE). This strategic plan and call to action sets forth a student-centered vision for the future of high-quality CTE in the State of California.

Please follow California Workforce Pathways – General Information (CA Dept of Education) to review the Draft California State Plan for Career and Technical Education and submit comments.

The public comment period will be open from Monday, October 3, 2022, through Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time ±.

During the open public comment period, written comments can be submitted to the California Department of Education, by email at CTESP2022@cde.ca.gov. In your public comment email, please provide the following information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• E-mail
• Organization you represent and job title, if applicable
• The specific page number and section on which the comment is being made must be stated.

Once the public comment period closes, the CDE and the CCCCO will compile the comments and provide a final draft of the California State Plan for Career Technical Education at a future CWPJAC meeting for approval.

We look forward to your participation in this public review process.

Sincerely,

Pete Callas, Division Director, Career and College Transition Division

California Department of Education

Thank you for your interest in the Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP). Here are a few updates and reminders.

• A final list of LAEP Participating Institutions is attached. We are thrilled that over 97% of eligible public postsecondary educational institutions have elected to participate. We will send email notifications of final LAEP allocation amounts to the LAEP Coordinators at participating institutions within the next week. LAEP funding will be sent to institutions via check in early September, along with additional information. Thank you for your patience as we roll out this new program.
• Employer Agreement Resources (attached) are now available on the LAEP website at www.csac.ca.gov/laep. We would like to extend our thanks to the LAEP workgroup and employers who took time to review these documents and provide us with suggestions of how to make them better. Reminder: A LAEP Employer Agreement is required between the institution and employer prior to hiring students.
• **NEW!** LAEP Drop-in Q&A – The LAEP team (Judy and Libby) will be holding semi-weekly drop-in Q&A hours. The upcoming times and Zoom link are below. Do you have questions? We have answers! Do you have suggestions? We want to hear them! Just want to hear what others have to say about the program? Come on by! These sessions will be informal and will not be recorded. Open to all and no registration is required.

 LAEP Drop-in Q&A Hours

Mon, 8/29, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Wed, 9/14, 3-4 p.m.

Thurs, 9/22, 3-4 p.m.

Mon, 9/26, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Join here:  CSAC’s LAEP Meeting Room https://csac-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/8590498063   Meeting ID: 859 049 8063

Dial-in information:     Meeting ID: 859 049 8063        +16694449171,,8590498063# US

List of Participating Institutions 2022                                  LAEP Employer Agreement Resources 2022

Mark your calendars for the 2022 3rd annual CPL Summit hosted by the California MAP Initiative, October 28 from 9am 1o 12pm on Zoom. You will gain a deeper understanding of CPL, stay abreast of developments in the field, and learn about emerging strategies, reforms, partnerships, and technologies focused on optimizing CPL throughout the state. There is no cost to attend this virtual Summit. 

Interactive sessions will feature:

• Updates from cohort colleges, including emerging strategies and best practices.
• Discussions on policy and regulation alignment and potential reform.
• Strategies for building partnerships for transfer.
• Demonstration of evolving services and technologies to support CPL.

Strategies for supporting and institutionalizing CPL at your campus.

Register Here

We could use your help to spread the word for one of our Career Education programs funded by Regional Strong workforce dollars. Please pass this along to students, friends, colleagues and anyone else you see fit!

Here’s a link to the website with detailed information.  Informational flyer.

The program is commuter-friendly and simply requires that students be on campus in Ukiah two consecutive days per week for laboratory courses during the spring and fall semesters.

October 15^th is the deadline.  Any promotion help you can give; we greatly appreciate it.

Christy Smith, Dean of Career Education, csmith@mendocino.edu

Mendocino-Lake Community College District

The chief driver of the economy in this vast Northern California region is agriculture in all its forms — cattle ranches, fruit orchards, rice fields, vineyards, even cannabis-growing operations. In Sacramento proper and its suburbs, the economy is fueled by state government and related services, healthcare, financial services and other industries.

The education levels of Sacramento and other urban pockets stand in contrast to the lower educational attainment of the surrounding rural regions, in which completion is more the exception to the rule. Opportunities for higher education and the resulting higher-paying jobs vary widely. Historically underserved populations – including people of color – are disproportionately working low-wage jobs, with limited access to regular healthcare. On top of these existing problems, Covid-19 sickened thousands in Northern California and disrupted schooling, while destructive wildfires caused even more economic churn.

Dear Apprenticeship Colleagues,

The Foundation for California Community Colleges Grow Apprenticeship California Team would love to welcome you to the Grow Apprenticeship California Community of Practice (CoP).

Who is GAC?
Grow Apprenticeship California helps to expand and scale Apprenticeship in new and innovative sectors, and pre-Apprenticeship programs linked to traditional and new and innovative programs, with the goal of connecting all Californians to good jobs with family-sustaining wages and advancement opportunities. The Grow Apprenticeship California Team works to support California’s apprenticeship ecosystem through the creation of a community of practice and technical assistance that encourages and helps support the creation of Apprenticeship opportunities in California. For more information about Grow Apprenticeship California, you can visit our website and review our GAC one pager.

Join our online community of practice, Grow Apprenticeship California, on LinkedIn to be connected to the source and learn about:

• Networking Opportunities
• Funding Resources
• Upcoming Events
• Program Spotlights
• Resource Sharing
• Opportunities to align with others in the workforce system

To be added to our listserv to receive a bimonthly newsletter, learn about upcoming virtual and in-person events, and to get connected to resources and more, provide your name and email address here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email the Grow Apprenticeship California team at apprenticeshipsupportnetwork@foundationccc.org.

Best, 

Grow Apprenticeship California
Foundation for California Community Colleges
1102 Q Street, Suite 4800 | Sacramento, CA 95811
www.foundationccc.org  | www.growapprenticeshipca.org
LinkedIn Community of Practice
Benefiting, Supporting, and Enhancing the California Community Colleges

The SSCCC appoints students to over 25 shared governance groups. We are currently seeking students to serve on the following groups:

• Common Course Numbering Task Force:  This group will implement recent AB1111 (Berman) legislation.
• Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE) Advisory Committee: This group provides consultation, promotes collaboration and partnership regarding the fiscal responsibility of allocating FKCE funding.
• Ethnic Studies Task Force – The Chancellor’s Office is seeking two students to sit on this task force. The task force will be determining the timing for the implementation of the ethnic studies requirement, as well as the definition of courses that will satisfy the requirements.
• ASCCC OER Coordinating Council: The OER Coordinating Council role is to steer and support the work of the ASCCC OERI Team and provide guidance on the direction and mission of the ASCCC OERI. The CCC OER Coordinating Council will provide a forum for groups working on OER to discuss their work and identify opportunities for collaboration and leveraging.

For more opportunities, please check out the entire list of participatory governance groups on our website at this link.

Students who are appointed to participatory governance groups are paid $25 per hour.  If you’re interested in serving on the groups above or any on the found on our website, you can apply via this link

Community colleges have the funds and should invest in smaller classes instead Commentary Canceling community college classes.

Canceling these classes is devastating for individual students. These students are already trying to balance work, life and schooling, and losing a course after signing up creates another hurdle that is often too high for them to overcome.

These cancellations disproportionately affect low-income students and students of color whose enrollment between fall 2019 and fall 2021 fell at higher rates (18-25%) — with Latino students representing nearly half the total loss — than their white peers, whose enrollment fell at a rate of 16%. Once we lose a student due to class cancellations, we may have lost them forever, a steep cost not often considered when canceling a class that administrators think is under-enrolled.

Our California Dream Index has been updated with new data showing important progress and issues of concern for regions across the state.

The data platform — detailing ten indicators focused on economic mobility in every region and county — covers home ownership, broadband, early childhood education and more.

California Dream Index

The North Far North Regional Consortium (NFN) presents Dr. Robert Eyler of Economic Forensics and Analytics to discuss the California economy with a specific focus on the Far North Counties of the Regional Consortium.  Topics such as rising interest rates, labor force trends and potential labor supply issues lingering through the 2020s are presented with both potential solutions, but also things to watch concerning strategic planning.  Housing markets and migration patterns, as well as where the state and regional economies are on a return to work help shape the outlook for these counties to 2025 and beyond.

“NFN North Counties: What Does the Recovery and Recession Roller Coaster Mean for This Region?”

When: Oct 18, 2022 8:00 AM Pacific Time                      Register here:

“NFN Far North Counties: What Does Recovery and Recession Mean for Rural California?”

When: Oct 20, 2022 8:00 AM Pacific Time                     Register Here:

Note: There will be 2 webinars.  You will need to register for both if you plan to attend both.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

growTECH FEST presented by Chicostart and Powered by Build with Ferguson, will take place Wednesday, October 5th at the Big Room, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and October 6th at Stoble Workplace, Downtown Chico.

growTECH FEST is the largest and only entrepreneurial regional conference north of Sacramento, CA leveraging the growTECH industry sector led partnership, to celebrate and elevate the entrepreneurial and tech culture that is fresh, pervasive and on the rise in the North State. If you are a techie, startup, small business, community leader, student or just someone with an idea, this conference is where you need to be! More about growTECH FEST HERE.

For more information and to buy tickets visit: https://growtechfest.10web.site/.

REGISTRATION INCLUDES: 

GTF Day 1 @ Big Room @ Sierra Nevada Brewery

• Lunch + Connect
• Keynote Speaker – One of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists, Crystal Washington
• ICON Panel
• Student Lightening Round
• Start up Stories + Pitches
• GTF Networking Reception on the Mezzanine

Day 2 – Workshops at  Stoble Workplace, Downtown Chico

• Leadership & Culture, Half a Bubble Out
• Winning Grant Programs, opengrants.io
• Opportunities in Clean Tech, Cleanstart

For more information and to buy tickets visit: https://growtechfest.10web.site/.

Act now, as the first series begins on September 12th. This is BIG!! An exclusive opportunity for your campuses at a price this you won’t believe. CCCAOE has partnered with Catapult to offer California Community College campuses (that’s YOU) a way to participate in a unique team professional development opportunity! For a limited-time pilot in 2022-2023, CCCAOE is providing Catapult to its members as a small team PD for only $2,500 for three individuals from your institution to experience this dynamic learning model yourselves!

Register TODAY for the Fall Series – Work Based Learning that begins on September 12th. There are 5 monthly webinars with 5 DYNAMIC speakers!: 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐳 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐚.

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 – https://www.catapultlpd.com/cccaoe

This is only one of the three series available. Register for one, two, or all three!

Thank you for your interest in the Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP). Here are a few updates and reminders.

• A final list of LAEP Participating Institutions is attached. We are thrilled that over 97% of eligible public postsecondary educational institutions have elected to participate. We will send email notifications of final LAEP allocation amounts to the LAEP Coordinators at participating institutions within the next week. LAEP funding will be sent to institutions via check in early September, along with additional information. Thank you for your patience as we roll out this new program.
• Employer Agreement Resources (attached) are now available on the LAEP website at www.csac.ca.gov/laep. We would like to extend our thanks to the LAEP workgroup and employers who took time to review these documents and provide us with suggestions of how to make them better. Reminder: A LAEP Employer Agreement is required between the institution and employer prior to hiring students.
• **NEW!** LAEP Drop-in Q&A – The LAEP team (Judy and Libby) will be holding semi-weekly drop-in Q&A hours. The upcoming times and Zoom link are below. Do you have questions? We have answers! Do you have suggestions? We want to hear them! Just want to hear what others have to say about the program? Come on by! These sessions will be informal and will not be recorded. Open to all and no registration is required.

 LAEP Drop-in Q&A Hours

Mon, 8/29, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Wed, 9/14, 3-4 p.m.

Thurs, 9/22, 3-4 p.m.

Mon, 9/26, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Join here:  CSAC’s LAEP Meeting Room https://csac-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/8590498063   Meeting ID: 859 049 8063

Dial-in information:     Meeting ID: 859 049 8063        +16694449171,,8590498063# US

List of Participating Institutions 2022                                  LAEP Employer Agreement Resources 2022

With the release of the ’22-’23 K12 Strong Workforce Program RFA last Friday, the North Far North will be holding a series of Technical Assistance Sessions and Webinars over the next few weeks.  The schedule is attached and includes direct links to register for said events.  For clarity, the two engagement sessions will be similar in nature, as far as content that will be delivered.  We wanted to provide options for those that want to attend face to face and those that prefer a digital format.  You do not need to attend both.  In addition to our regional engagement sessions, our Pathway Coordinators will be scheduling local engagement sessions to bring CC and K12 CTE leads together to discuss alignment of programs for your ’22-’23 applications.    I am also including the link to the ’22-’23 K12 SWP Resource folder, which we will be continually updating and adding more resources to, throughout the application period.  Currently all of the components and templates in the folder, however we anticipate that a revised edition of the RFA will be released in the next day or so, due to some clerical errors in the release from Friday.

’22-’23 K12 Strong Workforce Program Application Resources

K12 SWP RFA release Memo-Round 5

22-23 K12 SWP Presentation Schedule

Please reach out if you have any questions and we hope to see you at our sessions!

Tanya Meyer Tmeyer@frc.edu

The NFN Region celebrates the first ever TESI (Tech-career Exploration Summer Institute) cohort in Humboldt County!  Thanks to Amy Murphy, Clay McGlauhlin (College of the Redwoods), Tanya Trump (HCOE) and the local businesses for rallying to expand this program from Butte College into Humboldt County.  Linda Fischer, Becca Mortimer, and I (Butte College) are so happy to see this program grow, and we hope students in other Counties will soon get the same opportunity.  High Fives to all of you!  Please read on for details, student quotes from the students.

In June/July 2022, Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) in partnership with College of the Redwoods (CR) piloted the Technology Exploration Summer Institute (TESI) modeled after Butte College’s TESI program which was created in 2021. The program provided 16 Humboldt County students, representing 10 different high schools, the opportunity to explore career fields in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The 3 week program included seven days in the classroom learning: Introduction to ICT, IT Concepts and Terminology, Infrastructure, Application and Software, Software Development, Database Fundamentals, and Security; taught by a CR CIS instructor Clay McGlaughlin. In addition to classroom instruction, TESI students visited six different industry partner sites and connected remotely for mentoring by IBM professionals. Following completion of the program, students were offered the opportunity to take the CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ (ITF+) certification exam.

TESI Student Bios

Videos from the Superintendent’s speech and student presentations here!

Submitted by: -Wendy Porter Assistant Director Employer Partnerships Butte College-wporter@shastacollege.edu

As we launch a new school year, we recognize that many educators and students are still recovering from the social and emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One request we often hear from our partners is for resources to help students manage trauma and build resilience. In response to this need, REL West has assembled a free video collection, Addressing Trauma and Fostering Resilience, where experts provide actionable strategies for understanding youth behaviors and employing trauma-informed practices.
Read our blog post and watch the videos to learn more about:

• Relationship-building skills that support healing from trauma
• Suicide prevention strategies
• Listening to youth voices to strengthen change efforts
• Trauma-informed approaches to creating safe and supportive school environments

Read the Blog

Health-Careers Exploration Summer Institute (HESI). 

Sixteen Humboldt County students spent three weeks in class and at hospital rotations gaining hands-on experiences as they explored various careers in healthcare.  The students received a warm welcome from the staff at St. Josephs. The staff generously donated their time to help this next generation of medical professionals explore the many facets of healthcare.  They brought patient centered care to life for the students. This intensive summer program provides a unique opportunity for high school students that is different from the day to-day classroom environment. These students have a vested interest in healthcare, they want to pursue a career where they can help others and give back to their communities. The students were well prepared for this program by the medical health and science pathways (HASPI) offered at their high schools.  The preparation they received made their experience in the program more meaningful. Students started their day as early as 6:30 am at hospital rotations, classroom work after a full day at the hospital, and then nightly homework, five days a week. The program is completely free for the students, they just need to apply and have references from teachers, interview, and work hard!  

HESI Student Bios

North Coast News

 Times Standard Newspaper

July 11, 2022 Webinar Recording, Research Brief and Presentation

Webinar Recording: https://californiacompetes.org/webinars/building-bridges-creating-higher-education-employer-partnerships-that-work-for-students

Research Brief: https://californiacompetes.org/publications/highered-employer-partnerships

Slides: https://californiacompetes.org/assets/general-files/Bridging-Bridges-Webinar-Slides.pdf

If you are interested in learning more about the Industrial Biotechnology program created and led by James DeKloe at Solano Community College, click here for materials shared by him as follow-up to our discussion.

The Treasury Department has deemed it a market failure, and a shortage of providers is keeping parents from returning to the workforce. Dozens of states have gotten creative as they try to fix the system.

Here is a question for you. What if the decline in college enrollment is really a shift towards noncredit workforce training? (1) If it was, we would not know.

Why? Because there is not a national data collection that allows us to understand the extent to which students are enrolling in noncredit courses offered by universities and colleges; Yet.

Having this information would help us greatly, as it has in Illinois. Their college system appears to be a national leader, and just ahead of the 38 other states with data (2), where its annual and systemic data collection allows them to know that 90,344 students enrolled in noncredit in 2021 fiscal year, that the median age of noncredit students was 33.8, that 40.5% of noncredit offerings were for workforce training; or that 40.2% of noncredit courses were offered online (3).

Contrary to the opinion of some, this is not just a community college issue. In comments about the proposed data collection submitted by Stony Brook University, for example, in the 2020-21 year they had over 6,500 noncredit activities with approximately 66,000 student registrations. Compare that to the 34,000 students enrolled in for-credit courses and you can start to imagine the impact noncredit enrollment could have on our understanding of how students are learning at universities and colleges (4).

At this moment, the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education‘s Institute of Education Sciences to collect this data for all colleges and universities across the country who receive federal student aid money (4).

So, it rests in their hands.

We will either have the data that helps understand if students are transitioning to shorter duration noncredit education options at universities and colleges or they will make the decision to know nothing.

OMB has the ability to allow the U. S. Department of Education to take the action necessary to implement this collection so we are no longer left in the dark, acting with imperfect information.

Sources:
(1) National Student Clearinghouse: https://lnkd.in/etSS8udz
(2) Coffey Consulting, LLC paper on noncredit: https://lnkd.in/ebygDx5w
(3) Illinois Community College Board annual report https://lnkd.in/eKBXtcVi
(4) For both references see appendices A and E from https://lnkd.in/eqSwtXhn

Lumina Foundation Inside Higher Ed The Chronicle of Higher Education National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

It is now accepted that prescribed fire is needed to conserve and restore biodiversity, prevent catastrophic fires, stabilize carbon and promote public health and safety. To address the pace and scale of prescribed fire that is needed, we must invest in careers in prescribed fire

The North Far North Regional Consortium (NFN) presents Dr. Robert Eyler of Economic Forensics and Analytics to discuss the California economy with a specific focus on the Far North Counties of the Regional Consortium.  Topics such as rising interest rates, labor force trends and potential labor supply issues lingering through the 2020s are presented with both potential solutions, but also things to watch concerning strategic planning.  Housing markets and migration patterns, as well as where the state and regional economies are on a return to work help shape the outlook for these counties to 2025 and beyond.

“NFN North Counties: What Does the Recovery and Recession Roller Coaster Mean for This Region?”

When: Oct 18, 2022 8:00 AM Pacific Time                      Register here:

“NFN Far North Counties: What Does Recovery and Recession Mean for Rural California?”

When: Oct 20, 2022 8:00 AM Pacific Time                     Register Here:

Note: There will be 2 webinars.  You will need to register for both if you plan to attend both.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS IN:

FACULTY EXTERNSHIP/STUDENT INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY (PAID)

El Camino Community College is leading a project to place community college student interns and faculty externs with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) firms to assist them with cybersecurity readiness/compliance. This project will team students and faculty from the information communications technology (ICT) discipline to work with SBIR firms. Twenty (20) student interns coached by ten (10) faculty from community colleges across California will be matched with ten (10) SBIR firms. Student internships and faculty externship stipends are funded by a The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) grant through the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) acts as the employer of record and handles all the payroll and workers compensation for the student interns.

• Seeking ten (10) colleges to place 2 student interns and 1 faculty extern at California defense manufacturing and innovation firms.
  • Open to Full-Time and Adjunct California Community College Faculty
• Each college selected to participate will receive stipends plus travel
• Student wages will be 100% subsidized by the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC)
• Students are encouraged to enroll in college work experience programs to earn college credit

APPLY TODAY AT: https://forms.gle/nLz6Qo8W9DwCqW5p6

Informational Flyer

For more information, please contact:

Jose Anaya, Project Director • Dean, Community Advancement • janaya@elcamino.edu • 310-225-8265

Alan Braggins, Project Coordinator • abraggin@sbccd.edu • 909-387-1696

The North Far North Regional Consortium (NFN) is excited to offer faculty the opportunity to participate in the professional development course Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning (ITEL) offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).

​ACUE’s courses address a comprehensive set of evidence-based teaching practices shown to promote student success. In ACUE’s ITEL micro credential course, faculty learn teaching practices for developing students’ sense of belonging, ensuring course materials are accessible, developing appreciation for diverse viewpoints, understanding how diversity aids in innovation, and setting expectations for productive dialogue.

Beginning on September 26, 2022, the course consists of five modules that are nearly completely asynchronous, completing on average in 6-7 weeks. Average time commitment in completing the course is 2-3 hours per week. Upon completion of this course you will earn a digital badge which can be added to curriculum vitae, used in online teaching portfolios, and displayed on LinkedIn profiles or webpages as a sign of your achievement.

The course’s five modules support faculty in:​

• Managing the Impact of Bias​
• Reducing Microaggressions in Learning Environments​
• Addressing Imposter Phenomenon and Stereotype Threat​
• Creating Inclusive Learning Environments​
• Designing Equity-centered Courses

ACUE courses prepare educators to use research-based techniques shown to help students succeed. To learn more about ACUE’s Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning course please watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCz0LekQVpk

THERE ARE LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE FOR THIS COURSE SO PLEASE APPLY TODAY!

If you are committed to your professional learning and participating in this course, please complete and submit the form below by end of day Friday, September 9, 2022. You will receive a follow-up email with further directions on how to complete your registration.

Complete the APPLICATION here.                           Flyer            Course Schedule

This application is comprised of three short sections, and should take approximately five minutes to complete:
Section 1: Applicant Information
Section 2: Course Selection & ACUE Experience
Section 3: Application Short Answer Questions

Student Success Metrics that will be released to the field August 5^th

Integration of the Guided Pathways Metrics into the Student Success Metrics Cohort View

The maturation of the long-awaited cohort view portion of the Student Success Metrics has brought the ability to examine short- and long-term outcomes for students starting each academic year, regardless of term, across cohorts of varying length, including outcomes in students’ first year of attendance. This has created an opportunity to align the early momentum metrics in the Guided Pathways dashboard with the Student Success Metrics and release them to the field sooner than would have been otherwise possible. Previously, the Guided Pathways dashboard’s metrics focused solely on outcomes for students who began in a fall term, creating divergence between the more appropriate and inclusive full academic year cohorts used for the Student Success Metrics.

As part of an updated release of the Student Success Metrics, the first year/momentum metrics from the Guided Pathways dashboard have been incorporated into the Cohort View of the Student Success Metrics. Going forward, this will more authentically align the Guided Pathways/first year momentum metrics with the reality of when our students begin their college journey and improve the timeliness of the delivery of these metrics, making them available with the update of the Student Success Metrics each spring rather than as a separate, later release.

The in-person conference will kick off on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at 8:30 am at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas. There will be 3 full conference days with powerful keynote

 presentations and plenary sessions. The conference will wrap up on Friday, October 7, 2022, by noon. There will be pre-conference sessions on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

Please join Chabin Concepts and Dr. Robert Eyler for an update on the national and state economy in California, and a reflection on where the economy may be headed given the recovery momentum and headwinds such as growing housing prices, rising interest rates, and global tensions.

July 25, 2022 (8:30 am)

 REGISTER HERE 

Participants have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of Dr. Eyler’s presentation.

By registering for this 30-minute webinar, you will automatically receive a reminder and a link to future webinars.

CCC Tech Connect July Webinar

Date: Friday, July 15th

Time: 12 noon

 Is your District still using the ConferZoom in Canvas?

If so, this webinar is for you!

CCC TechConnect Zoom is focused on providing our colleges with the best service and support to all users. As part of our ongoing efforts, we will optimize the network for better performance, requiring Districts using ConferZoom in Canvas to migrate to their own District Zoom sub-accounts.

This webinar will present:

• An overview of the changes to expect for faculty/staff.
• A live demonstration of the new tools in Canvas for faculty
• Opportunities for your questions and our answers

Join us for this informative webinar and be prepared for the changes you’ll see in Zoom this fall! There will be time at the end to answer questions.

Register Now

Vision in Action

A new Dual Enrollment online class and a Dual Enrollment Community have launched in the Vision Resource Center to assist professionals working in or interested in supporting this program.

Dual enrollment programs provide students the unique opportunity to enroll in community college courses and allow students to earn credits toward both a high school diploma and a college degree. Participation can assist students in preparing for the rigors of college coursework and have been shown to improve graduation rates. On average, dual enrollment students demonstrate a 7% increase in high-school graduation, a 15% increase in college enrollment and a 25% increase in subsequent college graduation as compared to students who are not in a dual enrollment program, according to the combined results of five studies of dual enrollment that met the highly rigorous design standards of the Institute for Education Science’s What Works Clearinghouse.

The Dual Enrollment online class reviews the different models and target populations of the program including College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP), Non-CCAP, Middle College High School and programs for adult learners. Also included are brief overviews of the legislation related to dual enrollment and additional resources supporting effective program implementation. In addition, the Vision Resource Center also offers the Supporting Students Through Dual Enrollment online class, which is part of the New Directors Learning Series.

The Dual Enrollment Community is a space to collaborate, continue conversations, share promising practices and resources and receive the latest updates on dual enrollment. The questions sparked in the online class, or at the upcoming 9th Annual California Coalition of Early and Middle College Dual Enrollment Summit in September, can be answered in the community for a more holistic learning experience.

The North/Far North Center of Excellence is sharing a quarterly report on job postings, unemployment, industry measures, and other real-time data. The COE sends out a condensed version of the economic update in the COE North/Far North newsletter and a separate COE North/Far North newsletter.

The COE economic update will come out in the COE newsletter and be posted to the North/Far North regional consortium website during the second week of July.

 Sign up here to receive the economic update and COE newsletter.

SUMMARY

The region, like much of the nation, is experiencing historic low unemployment. The data does not yet show signs of a cooling labor market or layoffs. Key findings are as follows:

Unemployment— In the Greater Sacramento (North) region in May, the average unemployment rate was 3.0%. In the Far North, the average rate declined to 3.5%. The rate in California was 3.8%

Labor Force— The North region’s labor force has risen steadily during the second half of 2021 and first half of 2022. In May, the labor force for the North was 3.3% above January 2018 levels. Overall, the Far North has not regained the labor force it lost during the pandemic. In May, the Far North’s labor force was 3.2% lower than in January 2018.

Industry Trends— Most sectors in the North/Far North have recovered from job losses experienced during the pandemic, but many have not experienced significant growth. These include retail, government, and health care. Hospitality has made a remarkable comeback, regaining most of the job losses from the pandemic. Construction and transportation and logistics have seen significant growth over prepandemic employment levels.

Jobs Postings— A quarterly analysis of jobs postings volumes shows that many sectors continue to increase jobs postings volumes beyond prepandemic levels. In recent quarters, many sectors routinely have 20% to 50% higher postings volumes than before the pandemic.

Report Spotlights—The COE released reports on Artificial Intelligence and Real Estate in the Greater Sacramento region. The economic update and newsletter summarizes key findings from the reports. To review these reports and other recent reports please visit the Greater Sacramento and Far North sections of the COE website:

https://coeccc.net/region/greater-sacramento/

https://coeccc.net/region/far-north/

Submitted by: Aaron Wilcher, Director, North/Far North Center of Excellence, WilcheA@losrios.edu

“I tell people, cooking is my passion — but teaching is my calling,” says Robert Cabreros, Woodland Community College Culinary Arts instructor for 15 years and counting. 

“I was meant to be a teacher.”

Inspired instructors like Cabreros are driving the workforce in the Retail and Hospitality industry. Every year, community colleges award between 40 and 50 percent of all the culinary degrees in the country, firing up red-hot careers for chefs, bakers and restaurant managers.  

Instructors are the meat and potatoes of two-year culinary programs, and just as in industry, there are never enough of them. Currently, one out of every 10 jobs in the Retail and Hospitality sector are unfilled, according to U.S. Department of Labor data, with more than 1 million jobs open. 

More instructors are desperately needed to train increasingly in-demand professionals. And while the persistent need for teachers presents a never-ending challenge, it’s also a tremendous opportunity for those looking for a new and meaningful career.

According to Cabreros, the secret to finding his dream job was a pinch of serendipity and a dash of destiny. At the time, he worked as the executive chef at a local casino and was asked to help with a job shadowing event through Woodland Community College.

“I almost didn’t do it,” confesses Cabreros, who was shy of public speaking. But as he recalls, his boss said, “I’m not asking you to do this — I’m telling you.”

While the world of work has transformed rapidly over the last 40 years, most K-12 schools haven’t kept up… and students know it. In a 2019 survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, while 84 percent of students felt like they were ready for college, only 60 percent were confident about careers.

That confidence comes with experience, and in the Wheatland Union High School District, it’s all part of the curriculum. With three cutting-edge learning centers anchoring career ed on campus, 100 percent of Wheatland students undertake an unconventional CTE curriculum.

“We really believe that it’s not a college or career choice — that it’s both,” says Superintendent Nicole Newman. Her philosophy is that while not every student may choose to go to college, every single one will have a career. Thus, career readiness is key.

The value of early CTE exposure is especially apparent among employers. According to industry partner and Comfort Keepers home care owner Neil Goforth, the boost in career readiness will be a boon for the region’s future talent pipeline for decades to come.

“We’ve heard too many times that employers have passed over our area due to lack of a skilled workforce,” says Goforth. He cites a dire need for students to have critical soft skills, including communication, customer service and a professional attitude — skills they will now learn at Wheatland.

“Putting kids on the path to being good employees is a perfect start.”

Shasta College submitted an application on April 29th for a competitive grant through the Office of Public School Construction in collaboration with North State Together. This grant program is the result of the 2021 Budget Act which allocated $250 Million to the Department of General Services and is being administered through the Foundation for California Community Colleges. The focus of the grant is to promote K-16 education collaboratives that create streamlined pathways from high school to postsecondary education and into the workforce. Using innovative and creative approaches, North State Together will increase outcomes through ingenuity and bold systems transformation.

The 2021-22 State budget appropriated $200 million (with an additional $300M in the 2022-23 Governor’s proposed budget) for the Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP). This program will allow colleges to offer eligible students the opportunity to earn money to help defray their educational costs while gaining education-aligned, career-related employment. In order to participate in the Learning-Aligned Employment Program, colleges must submit the LAEP Participation Agreement no later than June 30, 2022 to the California Student Aid Commission.  For additional information about the Learning-Aligned Employment Program you may:

• Review theLAEP General Overview presentation, Learning-Aligned Flyer for Institutions and Learning-Aligned Employment Program Overview – Employers
• Register for the LAEP Webinar– Monday, June 6, 2022, 3:00 – 4:00pm
• Contact the California Student Aid Commission atlaep@csac.ca.gov.

If you have questions regarding the LAEP memo or would like to connect with participating colleges, please contact Santiago Morales at smorales@cccco.edu

Governor Newsom’s May Revise doubles down on the budget priorities from his January Proposal, including increasing enrollment, completion, intersegmental coordination, online courses, and equity.

The budget investments also aim to create seamless pathways through education and into the workforce and make notable allocations to modernize higher education, including California Competes’s priorities of credit for prior learning, competency-based education, work-based learning, and growing programs in high demand fields. Although this proposal makes choices that support students and reform systems, it falls short of increasing financial aid for the most vulnerable students, many of whom are older students and the Californians we need to pursue or return to higher education.

Building off our analysis of the January Budget proposal, we examine what is in the May Revision, along with the compacts and roadmap made public last Friday.

College enrollments have declined by 3 million students over the past decade.  While the decrease has been concentrated in community colleges, it’s coming soon to many four-year institutions.

Demographers predict an “enrollment cliff” beginning in 2025, when the traditional college-age population will start shrinking for the foreseeable future.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched a new grant program to scale already-successful initiatives across the U.S. that help high school graduates attain postsecondary degrees quickly.

A new grant program created and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aims to help high school students complete an associate degree or credential just a year after they graduate high school.

The program, called Accelerate ED: Seamless Pathways to Degrees and Careers, is giving 12 teams across the U.S. approximately $175,000 each to scale existing initiatives that help students obtain an associate degree at the end of their “13th year.”

The 12 teams are composed of people who work in higher education, secondary schools, community organizations, industry and more. They are based in 12 different states: Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show total enrollment declined 4.1 percent since last spring. Community colleges are once again the sector hit the hardest.

Enrollment across all sectors of higher education continued to decline this past semester, extending a trend that began during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The latest numbers mark the fifth semester in a row of declining overall enrollment. The report from spring 2020 counted 17.1 million students across all levels of higher education; that number is now 15.9 million.

The proposed $2 billion in funding for Golden State Pathways and dual enrollment in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2022-23 budget is a vital investment in California’s young people at a pivotal stage of their development — and in the workforce that’s counting on these adolescents to help them innovate and grow.

We know this because we have used these pathways in our districts for nearly a decade — and we know that they work.

Teach UP California offers clearly defined pathways for teacher credentialing completion for teachers with a Bachelor’s degree and currently holding a Short-
Term Staff Permit (STSP) or Provisional Internship Permit (PIP). We found a silver lining in the midst of this horrific pandemic. Together, we created a statewide solution and reimagined how we serve our students, specifically students in rural communities most affected by COVID-19.

In partnership with Cynthia McFarland, Grants Manager with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), we proudly offer supportive services and basic needs resources to serve the entire state. In California, rural districts represent twenty-five percent of the state’s student enrollment and experience the highest teacher shortages. Our project is laser-focused on increasing the number of credentialed teachers in the most rural areas of California.       www.norcalteachup.com

Submitted by: Tonya Mack, Director, NorCal Teach Up-Teacher Credentialing Partnership Program

North Region

Economic Update Webinar

Webinar Presentation

May 16, 2022

Far North Region

Economic Update Webinar

Webinar Presentation

May 23, 2022

Dr. Eyler Archived Webinar’s and Presentations

Please find attached a memo introducing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Curriculum Model Principles and Practices framework created by the California Community Colleges Curriculum Committee (5C).

DEI in Curriculum Memo            DEI in Curriculum: Model Principles and Practices

If you have any questions, please contact Dean Dr. Candice E. Brooks via email at cbrooks@CCCCO.edu.

The North Far North Regional Consortia’s governance model has been revised to include additional members of the Coordinating Council and we are inviting you to apply or nominate someone who might be the best person for one of these open positions.  The NFNRC is recruiting for membership positions to begin August, 2022.

PURPOSE:

The Coordinating Council will (1) provide consultation and advice on regional investments, (2) promote Career Education (CE) with their various constituent groups and (3) advocate for CE policy reform. This group is advisory and does not have voting rights.

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES:

Ensure that regional constituency leadership groups are aware of NFNRC activities, actions and decisions. Provide information on policy related to career education programming and funding streams. Advocate on behalf of the Consortium regarding needed policy reform. Collaborate with the NFNRC staff to ensure information/format/etc. are appropriate for dissemination to Regional and state External Leadership. Communicate information shared by NFNRC with their respective constituent groups and college leadership. Inform NFNRC Executive Director of regional leadership’s questions, concerns, ideas. Act in the best interest of the region as a whole. Maintain an equity-minded lens in all decision-making. Attend meetings regularly or ensure attendance of designated alternatives.

MEETINGS;

The Coordinating Council will meet once a month (the last Monday of the month from 10am-11am); first meeting will be August 29th, additional meetings may be called as deemed necessary. Meetings may be in-person or via videoconference. The NFNRC Executive Director may ask for a replacement if a member does not participate regularly.

The following positions are open and we request your assistance with filling them.

Economic & Workforce Development Advisory Committee (EWDAC) – representative from the NFNRC region * CEO- North & Far North * CIO-North & FN

CSSO-North &Far North * Voting Member – North & Far North * Faculty CE Liaison-North & Far North * WIB Representative-North & Far North

Adult Education Representative * ADEP- North & Far North * Student or Alumni-North & Far North

Please complete this APPLICATION* if you’d like to apply or nominate someone by 06/23/2022 (6 pm).  We appreciate everyone’s participation in serving as part of the Coordinating Council for the NFN region.

*To the extent possible, no more than one individual from each college will be represented on the Coordinating Council.*

Please pass along to folks that may be interested in serving on the Coordinating Council.

The complete details of the NFN Governance can be found here.

To learn more please visit the North Far North Regional Plan found here

It was the hottest July weekend in Sacramento’s history, with temperatures topping out at an asphalt-melting 113 degrees as the record-breaking heatwave pervaded.

As locals cranked their A/C units to “11” to stand a chance against the July 10-11 spike, HVAC professionals worked overtime, battling supply shortages, stressed-out customers and the oppressive heat. When temperatures finally came back down to Earth on Wednesday, a new kind of chilled-out champion had emerged: the sub-zero hero.

But qualified HVAC whisperers don’t just come from thin air. They’re built from a blueprint of hard work, access to technology and equipment, and most critically, experienced instructors. Since 1952, Sacramento City College’s Mechanical-Electrical Technology (MET) department has kept California’s capital current, passing knowledge of the trades down through an unbroken chain of professors spanning nearly 70 years.

The Plumas Health Career Exploration Spring Institute (PHESI) concluded with a dinner and student presentations to celebrate the success of the pilot program. Danielle Plocki, Plumas Charter School’s Patient Care Pathway Coordinator, led seven students to complete the 75-hour course. The program consisted of lectures, nine different department rotations at Plumas District Hospital and presentations.

Darren Beatty, PDH COO and JoDee Read, PDH CEO were instrumental in the partnership between the hospital and the charter school. Several representatives from PDH were in attendance to watch the students receive their certificates of completion. “I see this program as an investment in the future and introducing young people to all of the career opportunities at PDH,” said Tiffany Leonhardt, PDH Director of Public Relations.

Submitted by: Lisa Kelly, NFNRC K12 Pathway Coordinator

It’s hard to have a healthy California without some serious muscle in the healthcare workforce. And with more than 11 million residents living in an area with a shortage of primary care providers, it’s time to flex. 

That estimate by the California Health Care Foundation spells trouble for places like Gridley, which experienced a population boom of more than 28 percent since the last census. With demand for qualified health care workers spiking, some Northern California communities are just beginning to get creative. Others, like Gridley, have been at it for a while.

In response to its community’s shifting needs, Gridley High School launched its Health Sciences and Medical Technology Academy in 2017, giving students a unique head-start for in-demand health careers. With the situation now critical in Northern California, the Academy is proving to be the right remedy at the right moment. 

“Right now, every facility is facing staffing challenges,” says industry partner Lyndi Little Wallace, Director of Marketing & Community Outreach at Orchard Hospital, just down the street from the high school. The medical pathway, meanwhile, is “just a perfect opportunity for our program and community.”