{"id":66,"date":"2019-04-18T20:29:26","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T20:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/strong-workforce-program-making-investments-that-matter\/"},"modified":"2019-04-18T20:33:09","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T20:33:09","slug":"strong-workforce-program-making-investments-that-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/strong-workforce-program-making-investments-that-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong Workforce Program: Making Investments That Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">By Natalie Hannum, M.P.A., Dean of Workforce and Economic Development<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">When the state legislature declared that California\u2019s economic competitiveness is fueled, in part, by the strength of its regional economics and skilled workforce, it quickly followed up with funding for community colleges to develop \u201cmore and better\u201d career education programs to meet this need. The Strong Workforce Program was developed to meet the socio-economic needs of California by addressing the need for \u201cmiddle skill\u201d workers as a means to fuel the economy, and to support social and economic mobility for workers. Middle skill careers are those careers described as needing more than a high school diploma, but less than a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Los Medanos College (LMC) has a long history of supporting Career Programs and middle skill workers, so receiving additional funds to both improve and expand programs was welcomed. LMC\u2019s investment strategy was to evaluate and improve existing programs first, then consider starting new programs in the future. Investments could only be made in programs that met specific supply and demand criteria, and provided pathways, credentials, certificates and\/ or degrees in programs that would align to improved wages. LMC had many programs that met these criteria (see LMC Stars on the following page) and investments were made in programs like Computer Science, Public Safety, and Welding Technology, but one program called out loudly for a comprehensive investment: Automotive Technology.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-68\" src=\"http:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/automotive2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/automotive2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/automotive2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/automotive2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Having started in 1974, LMC\u2019s Automotive Technology program saw its last expansion in 2000. Much had changed and continues to change within the industry and the region \u2013 including the number of cars on the road due to expanded growth in East Contra Costa County \u2013 and significant changes is cars and trucks due to innovation and technology. Quite simply, the shop needed to be retooled to meet the needs of the current industry, and the curriculum needed to be revamped to address advancing technologies, such as those used in hybrid, electric, and diesel automobiles and trucks.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">The program already had elements of an excellent program, including: strong partnerships with industry that include Subaru, Audi, and Chrysler\/Fiat as part of the NC3\/MOPAR credentialing program; strong pathways with local high schools, whereby students could be begin courses while in high school and receive LMC college credit; and a dedicated faculty committed to making changes, which made the investment much less risky.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Today, with a completely renovated shop and classroom, state-of-the-art equipment, re-envisioned curriculum, and the third full-time instructor, the Automotive Technology program is poised to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential in today\u2019s job market. The goals for the program are to provide top quality training and education for those seeking this very satisfying and in-demand career. The program also wants to move from its Bronze Star status, as designated by the California Community College Chancellor\u2019s Office, to Silver Star status or higher. With an outstanding facility, current and innovative curriculum, strong industry relationships, and dedicated faculty, that goal is achievable.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Natalie Hannum, M.P.A., Dean of Workforce and Economic Development When the state legislature declared that California\u2019s economic competitiveness is fueled, in part, by the strength of its regional economics and skilled workforce, it quickly followed up with funding for community colleges to develop \u201cmore and better\u201d career education programs to meet this need. The&#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/strong-workforce-program-making-investments-that-matter\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-technology","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Strong Workforce Program: Making Investments That Matter - Fall 2019, Volume 11 \u2013 Issue 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/losmedanos.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2019-volume-11-issue-1\/strong-workforce-program-making-investments-that-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Strong Workforce Program: Making Investments That Matter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Natalie Hannum, M.P.A., Dean of Workforce and Economic Development When the state legislature declared that California\u2019s economic competitiveness is fueled, in part, by the strength of its regional economics and skilled workforce, it quickly followed up with funding for community colleges to develop \u201cmore and better\u201d career education programs to meet this need. 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