Allan Hancock College is in the midst of finishing up a grant application for $6 million for the California Career Pathways Trust grant through the California Department of Education.
The grant’s intent would be to develop pathways that include work-based learning components for high school students in arts/media, manufacturing, automotive technologies, health science, public service, agriculture, business, and hospitality. The Northern Santa Barbara County Economic Alliance sent out an email on Jan. 5 asking the community’s workforce stakeholders to send in letters of support to be included in the grant application.
The Economic Alliance partnered with several local organizations to launch a Workforce Development and Literacy Initiative, which identified fives goals to address by 2020—one of those is to double the number of vocational certificates awarded in North County.
The alliance sees the grant as a key way to help accomplish that goal. The grant proposal includes the Career Integration Initiative of North Santa Barbara County, a workforce development consortium being proposed by Hancock, the Santa Barbara County Education Office, and partner high schools in cooperation with chambers of commerce, the Workforce Investment Board, and the Santa Barbara Economic Vitality Team.
Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers describes the Career Integration Initiative as a “talent development” program that “will not only support students’ individual advancement, but will also address employers’ needs and enhance the regions’ economic growth,” according the Economic Alliance email.
Once the initiative is in place, organizations would be able to contribute by serving on advisory committees, hosting field trips, participating in career fairs, hosting student interns and skill competitions, donating equipment to schools, and/or becoming a co-investor in the Career Integration Initiative.
Letters of support should be mailed, emailed, or faxed by Jan. 15, 2015. They should be mailed to: Career Technical Education Transition Project, Allan Hancock College, 800 South College Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93454, Attn: Joe Pollon, Rm. W-11. Letters can be emailed to Pollon at jpollon@hancockcollege.edu or Jeri Wynn at rop@swbceo.org and faxed to 937-7489.
For more information about the initiative, contact Wynn at 937-8427, Ext. 102. For sample letters, contact the Economic Alliance via email, info@econalliance.org, or phone, 364-2153.
School Scene is compiled by Managing Editor Camillia Lanham. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Jan 8-15, 2015.
