Opportunity Rocks: The Strong Workforce Program Connects Students to Employer Demand

The California Strong Workforce Program (SWP), launched in 2016 to expand and strengthen career technical education (CTE) in the 116-college California Community Colleges system — the nation’s largest workforce development system — has helped thousands of students secure high-demand jobs and has helped employers hire well-trained workers in the Inland Empire/Desert region.

The $246 million annual investment aims to lift workers into high-demand careers, invigorate regional economies with skilled workers, and transition more workers into living-wage jobs. In the process, it helps fill critical labor market needs in fields served by career education or fields requiring specific industry certifications or associate’s degrees for entry.

The funding helped shine a spotlight on career education and illustrate to the communities that the community colleges are a training solution for people interested in getting to work immediately after finishing a program.

The SWP supports more than 150 programs across 12 colleges, training about 72,000 students for well-paying, in-demand jobs in the Inland Empire/Desert region, one of the most economically dynamic regions in the country. Funding helps develop curriculum, purchase equipment, and create work-based learning opportunities and new programs that lead to high-demand jobs. It also strengthens collaboration with employers.

The colleges’ programs then directly impact individuals and their livelihoods. As soon as someone is trained at the colleges, they can advance in their career, start a new career to earn a higher wage, gain a promotion, or guide themselves to the next level.

The IEDRC administers the Strong Workforce Program for local community colleges and K-12 districts. This work involves understanding the region’s workforce and educational needs, choosing where the funds go in response to employer demand, ensuring compliance with state requirements, and helping to maximize the effectiveness of the funds relative to the program’s goals.

Employer hiring needs are assessed through CTE program advisory boards, which bring together educators and industry reps. Regular CTE deans meetings, labor market data analysis, and direct engagement with employers are also key.

Regional industries targeted for support include energy/construction/utilities, advanced manufacturing, and advanced transportation and logistics. Additionally, SWP funds recently helped launch a new nursing associate’s degree program to address critical shortages. Three of the participating colleges are in Riverside County.  

Funding first became available in 2017 and the data on student outcomes since then tells a story of astonishing success.

According to data from the California Community Colleges, the number of SWP students who completed a noncredit CTE or workforce preparation course in the region rose from 34% in 2017-18 to 66% in 2021-22.

During that same period, median annual earnings rose 18% for SWP students taking jobs after completing their program.

That not only improves the lives of those students, but also of their families, their children and, very possibly, their future generations.