(Santa Ana, CA) - Twenty-seven programs across the Rancho Santiago Community College District, encompassing Santa Ana College (SAC) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC), have been named among the 1,384 programs recognized as California Community Colleges 2018 Strong Workforce Stars.
The California Community Colleges’ Strong Workforce Stars are a listing of career education programs whose students show significant gains in factors important in building a skilled workforce, and for advancing personal social mobility. Graduating students within the recognized programs see a substantial increase in earnings, attainment of a living wage, and placement in a job closely matched with their field of study.
Each of RSCCD’s two colleges earned one of this year’s 114 Gold Stars – the highest recognition awarded - with SAC’s Registered Nursing and SCC’s Power Lineman Apprenticeship earning the top honor.
Students graduating from SAC’s Registered Nursing program boosted their earnings by 98 percent, 74 percent attained the regional living wage, and 94 percent reported securing a job closely related to their field of study. SAC’s program takes a student-centered approach to promoting program participant success. In addition to a dedicated nursing counselor, the program also receives case-management support from a student services coordinator – funded through a California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Enrollment Growth and Retention Grant – who monitors student progress and assists with at-risk students. Students also have access to a skills lab, simulation lab, computer lab all coordinated by tenured faculty. Adding to the program’s success is the large number of instructors who currently work in the nursing field, including certified nurse educators, certified simulation specialists, and current or recent doctoral students.
Students completing SCC’s Power Lineman Apprenticeship program boost their earnings by 70 percent, with 93 percent attaining the regional living wage and 100 percent reporting that they’ve secured a job closely related to their field of study. SCC’s program utilizes an industry-approved curriculum provided by the Electrical Training Alliance, a joint venture of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, to ensure participants develop the skills and knowledge expected of them by current and future employers. The three-and-a-half year program, led by the California Nevada Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (CNJATC), provides students with 24 units that can be used toward the completion of an associate degree and/or transfer to California State University Dominguez Hills’ Construction Management program.
The district’s 25 remaining stars were split between the two schools, with two SAC and three SCC programs attaining one of the 294 Silver Stars and 13 SAC and seven SCC programs receiving one of the 975 Bronze Stars.
SAC’s Mid-Range Engine Service and Paralegal programs received the Silver Star distinction, while the college’s Administration of Justice, Advanced Engine Performance, Digital Media Arts-Graphic Design, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fire Prevention, Infant/Toddler Human Development, International Business, Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) Lathe Set-up and Operation, Administrative/Clinical Medical Assistant, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Pharmacy Technology, Preschool Child and Welding Technology programs received a Bronze Star.
SCC’s programs also receiving a star include its Carpentry, Drywall/Lather Apprenticeship, Electricity/Industrial Apprenticeship and Chief of Party, Surveying Apprenticeship with Silver Stars and the school’s Accounting, Maintenance Mechanic I Apprenticeship, Business Management, Gemology, General Marketing, Real Estate and Wastewater Environmental Sanitation, which all earned a Bronze Star.
Strong Workforce Stars can be viewed in the Workforce Recognition eShowcase on the California Community Colleges’ Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy website. Every college in the California Community College system had at least one program receive recognition and all programs being recognized are listed on the website.
The California Community Colleges have recently launched two online resources to help students and their families make informed decisions about their college education and career choices. In addition to relaunching the popular Salary Surfer website with updated data and new resources, students can explore more than 100 career highlight videos that serve as a valuable exploration tool for students and their families to visualize a future in various careers and career education fields. Through the website, students can compare salaries across fields and check to see which of their local community college programs are recognized for how well students do after graduation.
“The more informed students are about their chosen career and program of study at the outset, the better chances they have of reaching completion and transitioning into the workforce,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, California Community Colleges executive vice chancellor for Workforce and Digital Futures. “Salary Surfer and Strong Workforce Stars complement one another in providing information that is important for making a well-informed decision about college and career.”
The California Community Colleges are the state’s primary system for delivering career education, helping to lift low-wage workers into living-wage jobs and fueling regions with skilled workers needed by employers. Career education programs are at the center of a statewide effort to produce 1,000,000 middle-skilled workers by 2026, with work in the area being bolstered by the state’s Strong Workforce Program, an annual recurring investment of $200 million to increase the number of students enrolled in career education programs in demand by regional labor markets.
About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, and Tustin.. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.
About the California Community Colleges
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 72 districts and 114 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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