As San Diego employers face growing workforce shortages, rising retirement rates and rapid technological change, the San Diego & Imperial Center of Excellence, in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education, released a new report that offers colleges and workforce partners practical tools to engage employers around these challenges and see where apprenticeships can have the greatest impact.

The “Expanding Apprenticeships in San Diego County” report, released in April, builds on prior research, updating the region’s list of apprenticeable occupations and evaluating long-term program viability. In total, the report identifies 78 high-wage, high-demand occupations already approved for apprenticeship pathways across multiple industry sectors: 43 AI-resilient occupations, 34 occupations with a large retiring workforce, and 17 occupations that meet all three criteria.

Together, the data reinforce apprenticeship as both a workforce development strategy and a proactive way to help employers respond to evolving labor market needs. These findings give colleges and workforce partners a practical framework for diversifying apprenticeship pathways, guiding conversations about succession planning and replacement needs, marketing Career Technical Education (CTE) programs as AI-resilient career pathways, and prioritizing program development when resources are limited.

Learn more here.