RCCD RECEIVES LARGEST COMPETITIVE GRANT SUPPORTING HIGH SCHOOL CTE PROGRAMS
California Department of Education Awards Norco College $12.8 million Career Pathways Trust Grant
Riverside Community College District was awarded $12,860,892, the single largest competitive grant in the District’s history by the California Department of Education. The grant will fund the Career Readiness through Education and Strategic Training (CREST) program at Norco College. The funds will deliver 18 new Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways. The grant application includes $59,017,762 in matching funds from consortium members in western Riverside County.
Project CREST is a collaborative grant with a regional consortium comprised of 121 people from 11 unified school districts, 28 high schools, one middle school, two community college districts, four community colleges, the Riverside County Office of Education, County CTE/ROP division, Riverside County Workforce Investment Board, three adult and alternative learning centers, one virtual high school, and 70 industry/community partners. The monies will fund CTE pathways across three vitally important industry sectors: information and communication technologies, manufacturing and product development/advanced manufacturing, and health science and medical technology.
“We are excited and humbled to hear about the award of the largest grant ever given to the Riverside Community College District and 11 school districts, colleges, businesses and community partners,” exclaimed Paul Parnell, president at Norco College.
In all, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson awarded $244 million in grants to 40 programs that blend academic and career technical education, connect employers with schools and train students for jobs in high-demand fields.
The grants are provided through the California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT) program, which is the largest program of its kind in the nation. The program has provided nearly $500 million in career tech grants over two years.
“My top priority is to better prepare California students for college and careers in the 21st century,” Torlakson said. “Career Pathways provides vital support for innovative and effective career tech programs that keep students engaged in school and prepare them for real-world jobs.”
Through project CREST, the three RCCD colleges will strengthen pathways from local high schools, increase articulation agreements, upgrade instructional equipment in targeted CTE program areas, and offer increased work based learning and internship opportunities to students.
Kevin Fleming, dean of instruction, career and technical education at Norco College led the development of the consortium. “We commend Fleming for his key leadership in bringing the partners together to compete for these dollars that will change education opportunities for over 16,000 students in our region,” stated Parnell.