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District/college recognized for workforce development and readiness
efforts in the field of autism care services

(Santa Ana, CA) – Today the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) Board of Trustees approved Santiago Canyon College’s (SCC) proposed curriculum for an (Autism) Behavior Technician certificate program. The program will now be submitted to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for state approval. The District and SCC plan to offer the certificate program to students once this approval is secured.

Representatives from Autism Business Association attended the board meeting and commended the District and SCC for their workforce development and readiness efforts in the field of autism therapy.

“After meeting with RSCCD, we soon discovered how the District and SCC value the opportunities to collaborate with industry to address workforce needs” stated Andrew Patterson, Executive Director, Autism Business Association. “The RSCCD team assembled an industry roundtable that brought together our members with faculty and leadership from Santiago Canyon College, Santa Ana College and the District to discuss and identify critical gaps and barriers in workforce readiness for our industry in Orange County and surrounding communities.”

Included in the roundtable discussions were members from Autism Industry Association including ABEDI, Autism Behavior Services, Autism Spectrum Interventions, Autism Spectrum Therapies, Bloom Behavioral Health, California Psychcare, Creative Behavior Interventions, Love2Learn, STAR of CA, and TASKids.

Shortly after the initial discussions, Santiago Canyon College School of Continuing Education developed the curriculum for the (Autism) Behavior Technician certificate program. The program meets the minimum requirements of all three nationally accredited certifications recognized by insurance companies.

“The partnership is a great example of how our colleges work with industry to address vital community needs,” said RSCCD Chancellor Raúl Rodriguez, Ph.D. “The Behavior Technician certificate program is a win for our students, our colleges, the industry and most importantly our community’s autistic children and their families.”

For more information about the education for the Autism care industry, please contact Leila Mozaffari at (714) 480-7456 or by email at Mozaffari_Leila@rsccd.edu.

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.