Equipping the Local Workforce
While unemployment in California continues to increase steadily, College of the Canyons has seen a surge in enrollment as those out of work search for more education and training.

• Fall 2008 is up 19 percent compared to Fall 2007
• Winter 2009 is up 32 percent compared to Winter 2008
• Spring 2009 is up 12 percent compared to Spring 2008

Since 1993, College of the Canyons has trained more than 14,000 employees from more than 2,400 local companies through its strong local business partnerships.

• In 2007/08, College of the Canyons served 423 employers and helped train 1,832 employees through its Employee Training Institute (ETI), Center for Applied Competitive Technology (CACT), and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

Community colleges are the best investment California makes in education. They provide the greatest return on the smallest investment.

• The state invests $5,400 for a full-time community college student, compared to $11,624 for a CSU student and $18,203 for a UC student.
• Our community colleges provide an education for more than 2.5 million students per year – compared to 180,000 students at UC and 380,000 students at CSU.

In the last two years, in response to local employers’ requests, we have fast-tracked and created new training programs in:

• Auto Technology
• Land Surveying
• Building Inspection
• Landscape Maintenance
• Construction Technology
• Speech Pathology
• Sign Language Interpreter
• Retail Management
• Paralegal
• Advanced Technologies – nano, bio, autonomous

Energizing the Local Economy
The California Community College system has $5.36 billion worth of construction projects on the waiting list.  The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation that providing funding for that construction would

• Create 103,000 full-time equivalent jobs and
• Generate nearly $13 billion in business revenue throughout the state.

Spending of College of the Canyons revenues created $202 million in business volume in the Santa Clarita Valley in 2008.

By employing 1,454 people in 2008, College of the Canyons generated 14,012 full-time equivalent jobs in the community.

Enhancing Local Industry
The Small Business Development Center opened in 2006 and has:

• Counseled 1032 business owners and entrepreneurs
• Trained more than 4,100 people
• Launched 45 start-up businesses,
• Created 66 jobs
• Secured $3 million in capital investments
• Achieved a Top 10 performance ranking in the state, and was named the highest performing of all 11 SBDCs in L.A. County.

The i3 Business Incubator provides technology-based entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to grow a successful business.  Available resources include:

• Free mentoring with experienced professionals in sales and marketing, business plan development, accounting, human resources, legal/IP, and information technology.
• A new, state-of-the-art, fully furnished and wired 10,000-square-foot facility with 24/7 access (Fall 2009).
• Shared support services, including reception and office equipment.
• Student interns.
• Introductions to investors.

We have launched a pharmacy technician training program. 

• We had room for 32 people in the first cohort, but more than 80 people applied for admission.
• This is one of the fastest growing occupations in California, with the state’s Employment Development Department projecting a 36 percent increase in demand over the 10 years between 2006 and 2016.

Capitalizing on Stimulus Funding
The federal stimulus package provides $494 million in Workforce Investment Act  funds for California. 

$427 million, or 85 percent, is allocated to local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) to support local job training and workforce development efforts.

• The Chancellor’s Office is actively engaged in discussions with the WIBs at the state and local level to ensure that the boards regard the community colleges as their preferred training and education partners.
• College of the Canyons is working with the City of Santa Clarita and state labor officials to establish a local WIB in the Santa Clarita Valley to ensure the community has access to new  programs initiated by this funding.

The remaining $74 million, or 15 percent, is discretionary funding issued to the Governor for statewide initiatives and competitive grants for employment and training programs.

• One area of focus is training at-risk youth from 18 to 24 years of age, which College of the Canyons is doing through computerized manufacturing “boot camps” in partnership with the Los Angeles County WIB.
• COC will pursue this funding to expand the boot camp concept to include training and employment in other advanced manufacturing technologies, precision assembly for the biotechnology industry and other applicable industries facing a shortage of qualified workers.
• COC will also pursue funding for Green Jobs, which include Solar Panel Installation and Maintenance, Plumbing, Electrical Technician, and Construction.  These programs will be housed in the Applied Technology Center under design at the Canyon Country Campus.

Back to the 2009 Road Trip main page.