San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges honored for career education programs

By Jack Beresford

More than 50 career education programs at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges are being recognized by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for their effectiveness at preparing students for good-paying jobs and boosting their prospects for upward economic mobility.

Among those being honored with a Strong Workforce Star was City College’s Electricity program, where students realized an 84 percent increase in earnings, 100 percent of students are now employed in a job similar to their field of study, and where 87 percent of students are earning the regional living wage; the Animal Health Technology program at Mesa College, where students saw a 166 percent increase in earnings and 100 percent of students are working at a job similar to their field of study; and the Administration of Justice – Law Enforcement Technologies program at Miramar College, in which 92 percent of students are earning the regional living wage and 95 percent of students are employed in a job similar to their field of study.

“The San Diego Community College District is proud of this noteworthy recognition of the quality of our career education programs, the commitment of students who complete them, and the dedication of their faculty leaders,” said Dr. Stephanie Bulger, vice chancellor of Instructional Services. “The positive results of our programs in annual earnings, meaningful living wages, and match between the skills developed and subsequent employment demonstrate our commitment to developing productive partnerships with business and industry, and we will continue to do so.”

Strong Workforce Stars is part of the Strong Workforce Program, an annual $200 million investment launched in 2016 to create 1 million additional middle-skilled workers and lift low-wage workers into living-wage jobs. Programs that earn a Strong Workforce Star recognition must meet one or more of the following criteria: boosting annual earnings by 50 percent or more; seeing 70 percent or more of students earning the regional living wage; having 90 percent or more of students working in a job similar to their field of study.

Programs meeting one benchmark earn a bronze star. Programs meeting two benchmarks earn a silver star. Programs meeting all three metrics earn a gold star.

At the San Diego Community College District, 33 programs earned a bronze star, 17 earned a silver star, and one – the Electricity program at City College – earned a gold star. The Electricity program helps students master the skills required to succeed in the electrical trades through courses including Blueprint Reading for Electricians, Modern Commercial Wiring, Electrical Theory, Electric Lineman, and Electrical Control Systems.

—Jack Beresford is director of communication and public relations for the San Diego Community College District.