By SDCN Staff
Sacramento, CA–The California Community Colleges, the nation’s largest workforce training provider, celebrated February’s Career Education Month by highlighting the powerful role their programs play in shaping California’s workforce and boosting its economy.
Serving more than 2 million learners annually across 116 campuses, the system offers cutting-edge, hands-on career training, paving the way for high-wage, high-growth careers.
“California Community Colleges are leading the way in career education, providing students with the skills needed for high-demand jobs in key industries such as healthcare, climate action, agriculture, technology, and artificial intelligence,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian. “In alignment with Vision 2030, our system is driving multiple innovative workforce initiatives to meet the rapidly evolving demands of the job market.”
As emerging technologies reshape the world of work, the colleges are committed to supporting employers, equipping working Californians with the skills to advance their careers, and strengthening the state’s diverse communities to fuel a sustainable workforce and economic growth.
The California Community Colleges’ work is guided by its strategic plan, Vision 2030, which aims to create a workforce that thrives on innovation, inclusivity, and skills-based education. Eight demonstration projects are key to achieving the Vision 2030 goals, including the Central Valley Transfer; Credit for Prior Learning; Pathways for Learners with Low Incomes; Mental Health for Veterans; Common Cloud Data Platform; Apprenticeship Pathways; the Nursing Demonstration Project; and Rising Scholars. These projects have already started to expand pathways for those who may have thought a college education was out of reach.
The colleges’ network of Rising Scholars programs works to incorporate the needs of justice-impacted students. The program at Palomar College has 400 program students. It’s that program that is helping 54-year-old Jose Romero rebuild his life.
“My goal is to become an academic counselor or sociology professor, to teach students on the other side that even when we make wrong choices, we can be rehabilitated,” said Romero.
Romero grew up in East Los Angeles with parents who had a history of addiction, gang affiliation, and domestic abuse. Because of this he never saw much of a future for himself. Before he turned 18, he had already been arrested numerous times. At 26, he committed a felony during a drug deal—first-degree murder—and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
In 2008, an old friend at Calipatria State Prison, near Mexicali, helped him see there was a way out. For a shot at parole, Romero would need to commit to real change. After 12 years of prison clerical work, college courses, and self-help programs, he earned parole in 2023.
At a transitional home in Vista, he was introduced to the Rising Scholars program, where he was encouraged to continue his studies toward an associate degree in sociology and behavioral science at Palomar College. He now works there as a student support specialist, helping other justice-impacted students enroll in classes.
“I love it,” he said. “I can encourage them to get their degrees and work to find a better life for themselves.”
Romero finished his A.A. degree and transferred to San Marcos State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in criminology. He’d also like to get a master’s degree.
