As a follow-up to the South Central Coast Top Jobs and Equity Assessment report released in March 2025, the South Central Coast Center of Excellence (SCC COE) released a companion report, Strategies to Close Equity Gaps in the South Central Coast Region. This report examines barriers to closing equity gaps and identifies potential strategies to close them. Regional community colleges could consider implementing these strategies and drawing inspiration from the case studies discussed throughout the report. These approaches can help close regional equity gaps and increase employment of underrepresented individuals in good-paying, high-demand jobs across the region.

The SCC COE identified three significant gaps –

• Hispanic or Latino underrepresentation in higher-paying Top Jobs,
• Female underrepresentation in skilled trades jobs and programs, and
• Male underrepresentation in health jobs and programs.

Through an extensive literature review, the SCC COE found that there are common barriers to closing these gaps, including caregiving responsibilities and familial obligations, recruitment and retention challenges; bias, stereotypes, and representation issues; and a lack of role models for underrepresented groups.

Based on existing literature and case studies from outside the region, the SCC COE identified multiple strategies to close these gaps, including alleviating caregiving responsibilities, improving persistence and retention, promoting programs and recruiting underrepresented groups, and providing mentorship and support. Regional community colleges could consider these strategies and take inspiration from the case studies discussed throughout this report, to close regional equity gaps and get more underrepresented individuals employed in good-paying, high demand jobs throughout the region.

Read the full report to learn more!