Three Center of Excellence (COE) directors representing the Orange County (OC), South Central Coast (SCC), and Inland Empire/Desert (IE/D) delivered a joint presentation to nearly 250 community college leaders at the Statewide Convening on Apprenticeship Pathways in Costa Mesa, focusing on California’s next decade of work and the role apprenticeship must play in meeting the state’s workforce needs.

OC COE Director Dr. Jesse Crete presented on Workforce Demographics and Labor Supply Transition, framing the coming decade as a “Rising Storm” of converging labor market pressures rooted in Lightcast’s 2024 research and its January 2026 update. Drawing on national and California-specific data, Dr. Crete documented a demographic shift in which the U.S. population is projected to outpace labor force growth by nearly 8 to 1—creating a potential deficit of approximately 6 million workers by the end of the decade. With immigration declining, AI unable to fill physically-demanding roles in the trades, healthcare, and infrastructure, and a persistent mismatch between the workers available and the jobs most in need, Dr. Crete underscored that the structural nature of these shortages — not cyclical — is now beyond dispute. For California’s community colleges, the implication is clear: apprenticeship is not just an option, it is one of the most powerful tools the state has to meet this moment.

Colleagues Shannon Moran (IE/D COE) and Jacob Poore (SCC COE) examined complementary workforce pressures. Director Moran introduced the concept of the “Convergence Worker”—a new type of worker who blends physical trades, professional skills, and digital systems fluency—and highlighted the significant opportunity for community colleges to use apprenticeship to train and map pathways for workers in California’s clean energy transition. Director Poore highlighted a projected 59% growth in adults 65 and older by 2040, driving urgent demand for elder care, allied health, and behavioral health professionals—all areas ripe for apprenticeship career ladders.

Together, the directors concluded that California’s community colleges are uniquely positioned, through mission and infrastructure, to close these gaps. Apprenticeship is the fastest bridge from current conditions to future workforce needs.

The full presentation is available here.