San Diego/Imperial

The San Diego & Imperial Community Colleges Center of Excellence (COE) released our latest report, Priority Jobs and Programs: Addressing Equity Gaps for a Diverse Workforce.

The senior care industry in the San Diego/Imperial region is facing an urgent crisis. A new study by the San Diego/Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) found that the region’s population aged 65 and over is expanding rapidly—7% since 2020—indicating the region will need more services to accommodate a larger population of seniors. Currently, senior care living facilities can only accommodate 8% of the 65 years old and over cohort in San Diego County and 3% in Imperial County. Compounding this shortage is employers’ limited ability to meet the expanding demand for senior care workers, a shortage current training programs in the region need to address.

The San Diego & Imperial Community Colleges Center of Excellence (COE) and San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center (PIC) drafted a regional plan that secured $14 million from California Jobs First for the Southern Border Region. These catalyst funds will support “pre-development activities” that 1) lead to a net-zero economy, 2) create high-road jobs and 3) benefit disinvested communities. These projects will not only combat the effects of climate change within our communities, but also strive to include communities that have historically been unable to contribute to such planning efforts in the past.

In response to statewide efforts to expand workforce training offerings, the San Diego/Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) will hold a webinar this month to share key findings from a new report entitled “Opportunities for Apprenticeships in San Diego & Imperial Counties.”

San Diego/Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) Director Dr. Tina Ngo Bartel participated in a panel discussion July 18 on the child care crisis in San Diego.

The San Diego/Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) has released an Equity Gaps in Priority Jobs and Programs report that focuses on Imperial County. This report was replicated from a similar report released in February 2023 for San Diego County.

Tina Ngo Bartel, director of the San Diego/Imperial Center of Excellence, has been honored with a national 2023 Community, Economic, and Workforce Research Award from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the LMI Institute.

While community colleges excel in offering affordable degrees that can lead to high-wage jobs, gaps in equity may prevent students from completing programs or entering promising careers.

In partnership with industry representatives from the Water Energy Education Alliance (WEEA), the Orange County and San Diego/Imperial Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research (COE) co-led a 15-month research project that has culminated in the release of a new report, California Workforce Needs in the Water/Wastewater Industry.