Town Hall Explores How California Community Colleges Can Build A Stronger Workforce

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Above: Members of the California Community Colleges Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation, and a Strong Economy are pictured meeting in San Diego, March 18, 2015.

Getting better paying jobs for more community college students was the theme of a Wednesday meeting in San Diego.

The meeting, which brought together education and business leaders, focused on increasing opportunities for students in the science, technology and engineering fields.

During the meeting, Mayor Kevin Falconer said 40 percent of jobs in San Diego's STEM fields don't require a degree from a four-year institution.

The town hall was hosted by the California Community Colleges Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation, and a Strong Economy, which is tasked with developing aplan to make community college more responsive to the state’s economy

Van Ton-Quinlivan, the vice chancellor of workforce and economic development for California Community Colleges, said the state needs to create one million more middle-skilled workers.

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