Vision 2030 Demonstration Projects

Agricultural Technology and Education Collaborative

California’s Central Valley is a food-producing powerhouse, and food production and processing is the foundation of the regional economy. However, worker shortages are persistent, particularly as industry adopts innovative practices requiring new skill sets. The AgTEC demonstration project will develop an agriculture systems certificate program that will incorporate competency-based education with a carefully designed classroom curriculum to develop a skilled, next-generation agricultural workforce. The certificate will be available at seven Central Valley community colleges that are collaborating in the program design. Read more about food production and the regional economy in the following resources: Agriculture in Central California and California Farmers Have Raised Wages, But Still Unable to Find Enough Workers.

Apprenticeship Pathways

Apprenticeship is a valuable tool that provides students the opportunity to earn an income while combining experiential learning with classroom instruction. Governor Gavin Newsom established a goal of creating 500,000 apprenticeship opportunities by 2029, and apprenticeships are a key component of the state’s economic development. Read more in the articles Here’s How We Grow California’s Economy for Everyone and Advancing Apprenticeship in California a Five-Point Action Plan.

The Apprenticeship Pathways demonstration project aims to give students on-the-job training and classroom instruction in high-demand industries, guaranteeing wages during their education and employment afterward. The project will engage 25 colleges to create a roadmap to engage students in credit-bearing apprenticeships. The colleges will employ credit for prior learning to award credit for the apprenticeships, providing students with a direct path to certificates and degrees, employment and upward social mobility. The project could provide a statewide model for apprenticeships.

Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce Development

A recent California’s Current and Future Behavioral Health Workforce report highlighted the critical shortfalls in mental health care workers and the supply of mental health workers across the state. The mental health workforce development demonstration project will address the shortfall in mental health workers by (1) conducting a gap analysis to assess areas of greatest need and shortfalls in existing programs; (2) working with colleges to develop new mental health curricula and programs; (3) providing innovative student support including career counseling, partnerships with local high schools, job and internship placement, and English skills training.

Beyond Barriers: Integrating Services and Support to Empower Learner Economic Mobility

California Community Colleges in partnership with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) are advancing a demonstration project focused on optimizing and expanding student services and support. This project will uncover structural barriers to accessing safety net programs and test best practices to remove these barriers systemically. By refining a service delivery model that integrates institutional offerings and social support, this partnership is designed to create a scalable model that can over time reach broader populations.

This project will have two pillars of partnership focused on expanding pathways to economic mobility for California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) students: 1) Increase centralized access to bundled institutional offerings and social supports for county CalWORKs participants and 2) Streamline access and enrollment for safety net programs for California community college students with an immediate focus on improving access to CalFresh and CalWORKs.

Blue Economy and Climate Action Pathways

An important ingredient to promote the growth of the blue economy in the region is the availability of a trained workforce with the knowledge and skills to fill blue economy positions. The Blue Economy and Climate Action Pathways (BECAP) Consortium, an innovative alliance of 14 Los Angeles community colleges, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), is developing a novel workforce training and placement program to prepare students for the next generation of ocean economy occupations. The Consortium is leveraging existing resources and innovative workforce opportunities to establish post-secondary certificate and degree programs focused on four blue economy industry sectors: Regenerative Aquaculture, Renewable Energy, Bluetech & Underwater Robotics, and Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration.

Common Cloud Data Platform

The Common Cloud Data Platform demonstration project seeks to address a key data shortcoming among California community colleges: the inability of colleges to share data across a common platform. The project will develop a shared data infrastructure and data governance principles that will deliver near real-time student analytics, provide the foundation for an automatic application and acceptance pipeline to other institutions, and offer analytics to support student services and programs. The intended outcomes are helping colleges define program pathways and improving transfer rates. The demonstration project is being piloted at 11 community colleges and, if successful, could be scaled to serve the entire California community colleges system.

Credit for Prior Learning

Granting students credit for their prior learning is a strategy with demonstrated success in dramatically increasing completion, transfer and baccalaureate degree attainment rates for students. The Mapping Articulated Pathways — Credit for Prior Learning demonstration project will expand a technology infrastructure to enable faculty to more equitably and consistently award credit for common prior learning experiences like military and workforce training. The project will expand a current Mapping Articulated Pathway pilot to about a dozen more colleges, offering technical assistance, planning and periodic convenings. If successful, the technology could become available to all California community colleges. Learn more about postsecondary success in the CAEL report, Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success: A 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes.

Early Childhood Education / Education Workforce

California’s critical teacher shortfall—where 80% of school districts face a shortage of teachers—is impacting education across the state. The Educator Pipeline demonstration project has: (1) conducted regional analyses of teacher shortfalls; (2) prioritized teacher training statewide; (3) developed an array of innovative apprenticeship programs in the Bay Area; (4) elevated dual enrollment pipelines, and; (5) supported “Grow Your Own” strategies to diversify the teacher workforce.

Phase 2 of the ECE/EDU demonstration project will focus on deepening PK-3 teacher preparation through the implementation of the Pathways for Advancing Visionary Educators (PAVE) Toolkit and the development of 2+2 partnership models with CSU campuses. This phase will build a statewide Community of Practice to support collaboration among 6-8 California community colleges and 6-8 partner CSUs, strengthen early childhood educator pathways, and create more seamless, supported transitions for students pursuing the newly authorized PK3 credential. By aligning program design and curriculum across systems, the project will grow a diverse, well-prepared PK-3 educator workforce to meet one of California’s urgent teacher shortages.

Foster Youth College Access

The Foster Youth College Access demonstration project aims to strengthen college pathways for high school foster youth by integrating a case management support model to ensure a seamless transition into higher education and academic success, particularly at California community colleges. The focus of this project is critical as students with a history in foster care are among those least likely to both enroll in and complete college. Additionally, only 44% of foster youth enroll in college within one year of high school graduation, compared to 62% of all students and 54% of low-income students. When foster youth do pursue higher education, 75% elect to enroll in community college – positioning California Community Colleges as a critical figure in impacting the educational success for this population.

Inland Empire Health Plan Equitable Support

As healthcare costs continue to spiral, access to quality and affordable care continues to be elusive for historically marginalized and underserved communities—including many CCC students. The two-thirds of CCC students who struggle to meet basic needs are less likely to meet their educational goals or to succeed in college. Quality and affordable healthcare coverage is crucial for their educational success. The Inland Empire Health Plan Equitable Support demonstration project aims to ensure that every CCC student in the Inland Empire region has health insurance. The project seeks to accomplish its goals by: (1) increasing health plan enrollment through effective student outreach and engagement strategies; (2) supporting equitable access to preventative care on Inland Empire CCC campuses, and; (3) providing guidance and support to Inland Empire CCCs to become Medi-Cal eligible providers.

Nursing Demonstration Project

The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) demonstration project, under the Vision 2030: A Roadmap for California Community Colleges, will increase enrollment in ADN programs in select California’s Community Colleges in efforts to close the supply gap of registered nurses in California while ensuring equity in access to the profession of nursing. Colleges selected for this pilot will also demonstrate innovation in programming that ensures access for adult learners/incumbent workers and exhibit a commitment to leverage and embed simulation/immersive technologies in their curriculum

Open Educational Resources

The Open Educational Resource (OER) demonstration project aims to dramatically expand zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) degree pathways and open educational resources (OER) adoption across California’s community colleges. The core practices of the demonstration project include an assemblage of efforts: facilitating the ZTC Degree Grant Program, collaborating and contracting with the ASCCC OERI and the Chancellor’s Office Technical Assistance Provider, supporting a ZTC/OER Leadership Community of Practice, recommending student-centered regulations enhancing ZTC and OER pathways, and engaging the Burden-Free Instructional Materials Implementation Task Force.

Rising Scholars

Nearly 200,000 people are incarcerated in California, and many more are on parole or probation or are otherwise impacted by the criminal justice system. Research like this Prison Education Reduces Recidivism report has shown that an education while in prison dramatically reduces recidivism among offenders. The Rising Scholars demonstration project aims to advance certificate and degree completion for justice-impacted students. The project will provide technical assistance, resources and support to enhance partnerships between three colleges and three correctional institutions to provide college opportunities for thousands of incarcerated students. Through these efforts, the project aims to change trajectory of the lives of justice-involved students; increase post-incarceration employment prospects and socioeconomic mobility; reduce recidivism; and improve their ability to provide for their families, contribute to their communities and positively impact society.

Many activities to advance Vision 2030 are already under way, while at the same time we continue to plan for phased implementation over the next three to four years. Ongoing evaluation of demonstration projects will provide insights into the potential for broader implementation of programmatic successes through increased investments, policy changes, partnerships and innovations.

Rural College Transfer Collaborative

The Rural College Transfer Collaborative demonstration project will increase access to transfer pathways for students in rural and underserved communities by developing a multi-college collaborative focused on improving access to Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) in STEM and high demand fields, establishing seamless transitions to four-year institutions, and developing more robust transfer support systems tailored to rural students’ unique needs. The project will bridge equity gaps in access to baccalaureate degree attainment by providing rural and place-bound students with greater access to transfer pathway courses, both through in-person and virtual platforms. By fostering partnerships among rural-serving colleges, the California Virtual Campus, and regional four-year institutions, the project will develop new strategies to remove geographic and systemic barriers to transfer. This project aligns with the Vision 2030 goal of increasing equitable baccalaureate degree attainment and advancing equity in access, focusing specifically on improving transfer outcomes for underserved rural and place-bound students.

United Domestic Workers

The Chancellor’s Office partners with the United Domestic Workers (UDW) to construct seamless educational pathways for the union’s 91,000 members and their families. With UDW and through the efforts described above, the project will build capacity for colleges to engage learners in pathways that lead to high-value certificates and degrees, improving workers’ economic mobility.

Veterans Mental Health

California community colleges serve about 55,000 student veterans and 1.8 million military veterans live in California. Ensuring a smooth transition from military service to college classrooms is critical for their upward mobility; yet student veterans are more likely than non-veteran students to face challenges related to both physical and mental health. The Mental Health for Veterans demonstration project aims to strengthen institutional policy and practice to provide support — including mental health services, professional development for faculty and staff, and peer-to-peer mentorship — that student veterans need to succeed. The project will support 10 colleges to (1) establish partnerships to improve campus support, with a focus on mental health services, for student veterans; (2) facilitate professional development opportunities for campus faculty and staff about the unique needs of student veterans, and; (3) develop peer-to-peer student veteran networks on and off campus. If successful, this project could serve as a model for California Community Colleges.

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Completed and Transitioned Projects 1

Central Valley Transfer

Only 19% of students who hope to transfer from community college to a four-year institution successfully do so within four years. The Central Valley Transfer Project aims to improve transfer rates, particularly among underrepresented and first-generation students, by engaging Central Valley community colleges and local University of California and California State University campuses to define curricular pathways, help students choose their pathway, streamline transfer and reduce excess units. The project uses  Program Pathways Mapper  to map courses in the most-efficient pathway to transfer. If successful, the project could serve as a statewide model for regional collaboration between community colleges and four-year universities and the use of Program Pathway Mapper to streamline transfer pathways.

The project has now transitioned, with its key components moving into new phases of development and integration. The Program Pathways Mapper (PPM) is scaling up through statewide implementation, supported by grant opportunities for California Community Colleges to adopt or sustain its use. The Data Flow element has been incorporated into the Vision 2030 Transfer Workplan under the Auto-Matriculation of ADT Completers initiative and will leverage the Common Cloud Data Platform. Meanwhile, the Grow Your Own Faculty initiative operates on a distinct timeline and scale, and will continue independently as a promising local model that demonstrates the impact of long-term planning and the cultivation of a strong transfer culture.