REDDING, Calif.—State officials introduced several new workforce development programs on Dec. 16 including so-called “career passports” designed to help track Californians’ skills learned while serving in the military, volunteering, or working.
The learning and employment record will allow employers to better evaluate candidates and identify suitable employees, said proponents, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced the plan in a welding shop at Shasta College, a couple of hours north of Sacramento.
He said the state is working to guide individuals toward careers that are available for those who cannot afford or do not have the capacity to pursue higher education.
“We need to focus, yes, on college, but we also need to focus on career,” Newsom said. “We need to create a framework where you can get the benefits of a life well lived that ... doesn’t include some fancy degree.”
Under the new plan, veterans and active-duty military, as well as other workers, will also be able to transform their learned experiences into college credits statewide, benefiting approximately 30,000 service members, according to the governor’s office.
About 250,000 Californians in total will be able to apply their experiences to reduce the number of credit hours they would need to take to graduate.
Newsom said these elements of the state’s Master Plan for Career Education will prioritize the use of life-learned skills to facilitate college graduation and career advancement for those lacking degrees.
“We’re also providing opportunities to develop a skillset, mindset partnership with our community colleges,” the governor said.
Shasta College welding shop instructor Jay Davis told The Epoch Times that hundreds of students complete welding and machine courses every year, with many going on to start careers with wages of nearly $30 per hour.
Newly elected Republican Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick, who graduated from Shasta College and later Chico State, expressed gratitude for the state’s commitment to inspiring young people to pursue meaningful careers.
“We know we have to show our youth what’s out there, and they don’t always see it at home,” she said at the press conference. “That’s why I’m very excited to see this get to work.”
The chair of the Assembly Education Committee, Democratic Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, said the plan is a testament to the state’s desire to bolster the quality of life for all Californians.
“I’m here to make it absolutely clear that Sacramento cares about the North State,” Muratsuchi said, referencing the far northern counties that make up one of the state’s 13 diverse economic regions.
The assemblyman said the region faces unique challenges that require an investment in youth to help “teach real-world skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
Stuart Knox, secretary of the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, said the state’s new “career passports” tool will help employers and potential employees connect with each other more easily.
“It’s not always what they’ve learned in college, but also what they’ve learned on the job,” Stuart Knox, secretary of the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, said during the press conference. “Having a record like this will make it easier for employers to find the right people, and for the workers of our next generations to find the right jobs.”
The governor’s plan aims to reach 500,000 participants completing apprenticeships by 2029. More than $221 million was invested into related programs in the prior fiscal year.
One local school administrator expressed optimism for the plan and said the region will greatly benefit from the career pathways programs.
“I believe that together we can navigate opportunities and overcome complex challenges to make a brighter future for our students,” Billy Miller, dean of extended education and North State Together at Shasta College, said during the press conference.
The governor stopped in Shasta County as part of his “Jobs First Tour” that has seen him visit Fresno, Kern, and Colusa counties in the Central Valley in recent weeks.
Economic regions were given $5 million each to develop economic plans. Each of the state’s 13 regions is presenting Newsom with documents that will be compiled into a comprehensive statewide strategy early next year, according to the governor’s office.
Each region also received $14 million to begin developing actions for specific projects, and $120 million in competitive grants will be awarded in 2025, with applications accepted beginning Jan. 1.
