Cal State Fullerton Receives $1.4 Million to Broaden Career Pathways for OC Students

California State University–Fullerton in Fullerton, Calif., on March 8, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

California State University—Fullerton is dedicating $1.4 million in education grants to recent high school grads, community college, and university students to help them pursue a career in a variety of fields, according to a recent statement from the school.

The program is part of the school’s effort to give more college students the opportunity to pursue careers in engineering, computer science, education, social work, business, and visual arts.

“The goal of this project is to establish and grow partnerships that support education and career development for youth in Orange County,” Estela Zarate, one of the program’s directors, said in a March 13 statement.

According to the school, the grants are part of a state-funded project to address “longstanding equity challenges” in higher education and the workforce. The funds for Cal State Fullerton were provided from the Orange County Department of Education, which received $18.1 million from the state.

Career Pathways Programs

One of the funded programs at the university, known as “Project Propel,” is aimed at mentoring high school students through their college education to pursue a career in teaching, partnering with Anaheim Union High School District and Garden Grove Unified School District.

Graduates from the teaching program will be able to “return to their communities to become positive change agents in the classroom,” said program officials.

According to program leader Fernando Rodriguez-Valls, teachers with more diverse backgrounds are needed to meet the needs of the Orange County population.

“The shift in demographics, and globalization in general, and the need to produce a highly trained workforce has created a high demand for [multi-lingual] teachers able to deliver effective instruction in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts,” Rodriguez-Valls said in a statement.

According to university program leaders in engineering and computer science, California also faces a “massive gap” of professionals qualified to be working in advanced areas of these fields due to a shortage of people with such technical training across the state.

“This project will set the stage for preparing the next-generation smart manufacturing workforce and develop technology-rich innovative learning environments that inspire K-12 students to explore manufacturing careers,” said program co-director Sagil James in a statement.