At the beginning of 2019, the Advanced Manufacturing sector developed a statewide 5 year strategic plan to prepare California’s manufacturing workforce to unlock individual potential and improve the quality of life for all Californians. As part of its vision, the sector’s mission is to fulfill manufacturing industry’s workforce needs; facilitate the development of industry-aligned curriculum to develop the next generation of highly skilled manufacturing problem solvers and system thinkers; attract and educate a highly qualified and diverse student population to enter the manufacturing workforce and to explore and develop innovative solutions for emerging workforce needs.
To be successful in achieving this mission, the advanced manufacturing sector has included in its 5 year goals and objectives to update, expand and align K-16 career educational pathways to improve student success. This includes the task of integrating soft-skill training programs (such as New World of Work) into existing manufacturing skill-based training programs and curriculum. Over the next 5 years, the Advanced Manufacturing sector will be measuring the number of programs that integrate soft skills education with skills based training.
ATL represents an array of clean energy technologies that form a critical part of California’s strategy for reducing its climate change impact and its dependency on foreign energy, as well as growing a robust green economy by helping California’s businesses remain competitive in a global market.
California has always been a world leader in clean energy technologies, but to advance our competitiveness as superior workforce, skills for the rapidly changing clean energy technologies must exist. Ensuring that California has a highly skilled, clean energy workforce is the goal of the Advanced Transportation and Logistics Sector.
Through sector strategies and services, the Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technology initiative works to ensure the economic viability of California’s agriculture and natural resources industry, while maintaining our environmental integrity, especially in the area of water – our most precious resource.
Support: We support regional and statewide sector strategies that promote the education, training, and advocacy of agricultural and environmental businesses and services.
Drive: We drive the development and alignment of curriculum in Agriculture, Natural Resources, Water, and environmental technology programs across the state.
Advance: We sustain and advance the development of career pathways in an effort to maintain California’s standing as the number one agriculture state in the nation.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners are critical to California’s economic development as contributors to innovation and new job growth. According to The Kauffman Entrepreneur Index Study by the Kauffman Foundation, California is 5th in the nation for entrepreneurial growth and 2nd for overall entrepreneurial activity. California’s small businesses comprise 98% of all businesses in the state, provide 82% of the private sector jobs, and 75% of the gross state product.
The Business and Entrepreneurship Sector collaborates with industry and education to improve and expand business and entrepreneurial curriculum. The sector is focused on infusing and embedding entrepreneurship and business into the various career technical education programs of the colleges. Students receive both the technical skills to succeed in their field of study plus the business skills to succeed as future business owners. The end result is a job ready workforce and the development of entrepreneurial leaders to ensure California’s economic growth and global competitiveness.
Click here to view the Business & Entrepreneurship Sector Flyer
California’s Advanced Energy industry needs an additional 15,000 highly skilled workers every year, and Community Colleges are uniquely positioned to meet this need. The Energy, Construction and Utilities Sector team engages education and industry to deliver to students the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for rapid technological advances:
Engage: Employers and faculty to design curriculum with solid connections between student learning outcomes and industry-recognized credentials
Enroll: Students in courses that give them the skills, knowledge and abilities to compete in ECU occupations
Employ: Students in work-based learning experiences to build the ECU talent pipeline
Click here to view the Energy, Construction & Utilities Sector Flyer
Global Trade and Logistics serve as the backbone of California’s export system. With exports totaling over $170 billion annually, international trade is a major economic driver for California. More importantly, these exports translate into high-paying jobs for more than one million California residents.
Many economists contend that export-led growth is the only sustainable way to maintain living standards and secure long-term economic success. Improving Global Trade and Logistics and further growing California’s exports will benefit the entire economy. As such, you can expect this sector to supply plentiful jobs well into the future.
The Global Trade Sector seeks to supply students with in-demand skills, create career pathways, and link students with current job openings. They accomplish this by doing the following:
Learn more about the Global Trade Sector
Los Rios Community College created the Global Go Video Series You Tube Channel which combines business strategies and testimonials from local entrepreneurs who have embraced the 21st century skills on their pathway to achieving global success. Created by the Northern California International Center for Trade Development, it includes a full video series for use with students, employees, and entrepreneurs.
Under the Health Workforce Initiative (HWI), the Statewide Director and the Regional Directors recognized the need for soft employment skills training. Work with the HWI Statewide Advisory and subject matter experts led to the creation of High-Touch Healthcare: The Critical Six Soft Skills.
These High-Touch Healthcare: Critical Six Soft Skills modules are divided into six competency domains (Communication Competency, Workplace Ethics & Professionalism, Team Building & Collaboration, Effective Problem Solving, Embracing Diversity, and Demonstrating Compassion) with corresponding Grab-N-Go subordinate independent training modules. Grab-N-Go modules allow the trainer to implement as thorough and detailed training as time allows, or to simply use one or two of the many activities—a la carte style! The convenience of the Grab-N-Go module design allows the trainer to pick and choose soft skills training topics from among the six competency domains and again to pick and choose specific activities within each independent module.
The ICT-Digital Media Sector team focuses on relevant and effective skills training in the ICT sector. Working with employers, recruiters and colleges, our statewide team of 12 ICT Regional Directors of Employer Engagement identify and advance successful and trusted educational strategies, or pathways, for all students – entry, advanced, and incumbent.
The Business Information Worker and IT Technician Pathway ( detailed on our website) are guided pathways that are relevant to young and old. Check them out and see if you are interested!
By providing hands-on training and entry-level work readiness for the laboratory workforce, we support industry responsive regional training programs that produce employable individuals with in-demand skills. Besides this ‘know-how,’ our courses provide the ‘know-why’ so that trained individuals can adapt to a dynamic industry.
Recognizing the lack of licensure or industry-recognized standards for entry-level laboratory workers, the California Life Sciences and Biotech Initiative has worked with industry and faculty statewide to create an Employability Milestone for hands-on laboratory skills.
Click here to view the Talent Report
The Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism sector generates over $500 billion annually. As such a massive engine in the California economy, this sector provides great opportunity for career exploration and advancement.
The diverse range of positions – in lodging, restaurants, retail stores, theme parks, cruise lines, plus transportation and other tourism services – provide excellent job opportunities for people with varied skills and educational backgrounds.