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Leading industry-education partnerships to strengthen our region’s talent development ecosystem

CCW is focused on institutionalizing the regular engagement of and partnerships between our 19 community colleges in the L.A. region and employers from high-growth industry sectors with projected growth of middle skill jobs. It is through these productive partnerships and real-time “feedback loops” that colleges can adaptively attune their programs, courses and curricula to the workforce needs in a way that this truly responsive, demand-driven and future-forward, while also providing students with the very important real-world experiences that come from work-based learning opportunities such as internships.

How CCW delivers on this mission:

  • 1 – Labor market research and analysis on the supply and demand for talent, to inform college faculty, employers and job-seekers about career paths, changing skills requirements and anticipated job openings.
  • 2 – Convening Industry and Education in regional program advisories and industry councils, led by LAEDC, to strengthen relationships and communication between business leaders and college faculty, identify trends in skills and competencies, and build efficient talent development programs.
  • 3 – Developing work-based learning opportunities to enable students to explore careers, apply their education and training, understand employer expectations and contextual mixed learning, receive professional mentoring, and on the job experience.  (e.g. internship and apprenticeship). This also encourages employers to co-invest in the job and career readiness of students.
  • 4 – Company visits and career videos, to show faculty occupations and work sites in-person.
  • 5 – CCW Workforce & Education Portal, accessible on this website, which creates a regional infrastructure to efficiently connect students, colleges and employers in real time, to share and activate job leads and work-based learning opportunities on a Salesforce community platform.

CCW is a collaboration between the 19 community colleges in the LA region and the LAEDC, funded through California’s Strong Workforce Program.

Read the recently completed 2020-2021 CCW Annual Report to view progress:

Latest News

Latest May 2021 CCW Impact Report: employers, faculty, students engaging at unprecedented levels

This CCW report provides data and analysis of industries and occupations with opportunities for greater diversity, and related community college pathways into these careers

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Report: Middle-Skill Occupations through the Lens of Race and Ethnicity

This CCW report provides data and analysis of industries and occupations with opportunities for greater diversity, and related community college pathways into these careers

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LAEDC’s work with CCW is delivering transformative change for LA’s community college system & students

CCW programs led by LAEDC are fueling engagement between colleges and industry, leading to new programs, student opportunity and faculty professional development.

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Student focus continues at CCW; Healthcare employers engage with students May 13th

CCW is connecting hundreds of community college students directly with employers in key industries, so they can ask questions, understand career pathways and hear the skills requirements for occupations

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Well-paying careers are accessible: KPCC taps panelist Jessica Ku Kim of LAEDC to help job seekers

On April 28th, LAEDC’s Jessica Ku Kim joined a unique KPCC panel that provided the audience with advice on starting a new career to take advantage of in-demand occupations that pay well in Los Angeles County.

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Student engagement with employers is increasing via CCW, new dates and new opportunities announced

From cloud computing careers to auto technician, website design and more: students are gaining an edge from CCW

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WorkingNation’s Art Bilger warns structural unemployment increasing due to automation

Jobs are disappearing due to the unprecedented pace of automation, and reskilling is the answer, says WorkingNation founder

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Strong faculty & student engagement with employers defines CCW progress

Faculty engagement in Regional Program Advisories, and student engagement with employer internship webinars have been yielding tremendous progress

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Student events at CCW open up career opportunities

Careers in Animation, Automotive, Web Design, EMT, Accounting and more are explored for students in employer-hosted events, presented by CCW

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Regional Program Advisories Update: Which industries are sharing with college faculty next?

Deans and Faculty get exclusive access to employers to strengthen relationships with business leaders, identify trends in skills and competencies, and build efficient talent development programs.

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New CCW report: LA’s Seaport and Airport jobs and college pathways

The new report from CCW identifies accessible career pathways in the rapidly evolving industry sector related to LA County’s massive seaports and airports.

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LAist profiles CCW Essential Workers report, community college pathways to well-paying careers

LAist (KPCC) wrote about workers transitioning to well-paying careers, who are utilizing the community college system, and the LAist article referenced helpful reports from this CCW website

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Faculty are attending CCW Regional Program Advisories, graphic shows

Faculty attendance is vital to the success of industry-college convenings to update and modernize curricula based on employer feedback, and data shows college participation is strong

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CCW Jan ’21 Newsletter offers updates and upcoming events

Updates on Regional Program Advisories, Industry Council meetings, and dates/times of other CCW events and activity. Don't miss this important information.

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Cloud Computing program profiled on PBS News Hour, Santa Monica College included

News segment highlighted short-term certificates as pathways to modern careers: The CA Cloud program and the partnership between Amazon Web Services and the 19 Community Colleges in the LA region was profiled

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Report launch: Essential Workers in Critical Infrastructure Industries during COVID

CCW has released the new report, Essential Workers in Critical Industries in the Time of COVID-19. Click here to view the report's findings, economist presentation, slides and more.

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ZEV automotive technician career opportunity strong, says Tesla at E4 meeting

Talent pipelines and diversity were discussed at the e4 meeting Nov 12th, on the topic of “Cool Jobs in a Hot Industry: Tesla and ZEVs.”

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CCW strengthens Takeda bioscience partnership with colleges

A prime example of a company partnering with community colleges is Takeda, a global biopharmaceutical company, employing about 1,000 people in LA County

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Bioscience industry activity in LA County is increasing: State of the Industry event

Bioscience activity in LA County is up; more jobs, investment, new resources to aid collaboration, presenting opportunities for community college partnerships with industry

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Cloud computing program seeing major progress at LA area community colleges

Success can be measured by course completions, industry certifications by students, total number of colleges offering the program and a number of other measures

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CCW Newsletter offers upcoming events and other updates

Updates on Regional Program Advisories, Workforce & Education Portal, industry councils, and launch of the bioscience portal

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CCW prepares to study essential worker occupations

During this pandemic, Angelenos have relied on essential workers. Looking at the data, what are those occupations and are they hiring?

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California blackouts fueling career opportunities in energy storage

Many residents and businesses are increasing the demand for energy storage, creating middle-skill job openings.

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CCW protective services report released

This latest report from CCW provides college faculty and students with actionable information about protective services occupations in the Los Angeles region.

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CCW construction industry report released

This latest report from CCW provides college faculty and students with actionable information about occupations in the Construction industry in the Los Angeles region.

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ICT Report: The Information and Communications Technology Industry and its Workforce

This latest report from CCW provides college faculty and students with actionable information about occupations in the ICT industry in the Los Angeles region.

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E4 Mobility Alliance Council Meeting: “Future of Electric Transportation”

Future of electric transportation and LA's role was explored May 6th, 2020 at a special Future Forum sponsored by CCW

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Report: LA Area Community Colleges at a Crossroads: a market assessment and call to action

Report provides analysis of the changing landscape, and offers recommendations to increase the ability of the LA Area community colleges to be highly successful

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Recap of April 30 CCW / LAEDC Webinar: COVID-19 Economic Impact

April 30th, 2020, from 2:00pm – 2:30pm. Topic: Economic insights on COVID-19 for community colleges in LA County. Requires RSVP. Virtual meeting via Zoom

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Global Trade & Logistics videos

How did faculty and employers react to CCW's Regional Industry Advisory meeting on global trade & logistics talent?

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Bioscience portal about to launch

The new Fusion LA website, which will launch soon, is the new focal point for all things bioscience in the Los Angeles region.

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Manufacturing report is published

Report details manufacturing occupations in LA region to assist college faculty and students with planning

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Cororavirus fueling online education demand

Community colleges have a tremendous opportunity to enroll new students while the public is at home

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Recap: Global Trade & Logistics Regional Advisory Meeting 2/2020

CCW hosted a Regional Industry Advisory meeting on the future of global trade and logistics talent, in a closed meeting for college faculty on Friday, February 21st, 2020

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Video: Renewable energy is influencing workforce, from facility managers to IT careers

Video interview describes how the renewable energy industry is affecting the skills that businesses need and the career opportunities for workers in California and Los Angeles Basin, accessible via community college

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CCW driving successful Regional Strong Workforce program in Los Angeles Basin

The LA region has demonstrated that fusing labor market research and reliable occupational forecasting with systematic business engagement of college leadership drives more effective career education programs.

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New CCW Labor Market Reports: Forty fast-growing LA occupations profiled

LAEDC & Center for Competitive Workforce Forecast over 200,000 Middle-Skill Job Openings in Los Angeles Basin: Labor market reports will guide community college faculty and students in a fast-changing economy

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Fourth “HireLAX” cohort graduates from LA Southwest College

More than 70 percent of graduates have already started their construction careers at LAX or nearby projects. That is the power of industry partnership with our community colleges.

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Industry-College partnerships increasingly valuable source of workers and well-paying careers

Here's a quick list of college-industry partnerships that are driving curricula and program offerings at the 19 LA Basin Community Colleges. List is being updated as we receive input.

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Talent pipelines from community colleges explored in CCW industry councils

Employers have a chance to develop talent with deans from local community colleges at industry council events hosted by LAEDC.  This is part of the value provided by the Center for a Competitive Workforce

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Community college system, students and businesses benefiting from CCW partnership

LAEDC has published a playbook for industry-education partnerships, in the form of a Project Update about the work of Center for a Competitive Workforce (CCW). Get the report here.

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CCW Meetings & Calendar  View Past Events

Employers:

Partner with CCW to access talent pipelines with community colleges in the region.

  • Upskill or retrain your existing employees by connecting with CCW.
  • Develop internship and apprenticeship pipelines to access aspiring talent, many of whom will become great employees.
  • Engage with college faculty so they can modify their programs and curricula to teach the technology and skills you require in your workplace.
  • Use the CCW Portal to find candidates, partnering opportunities with local colleges, and post open positions and work-based learning opportunities.

Faculty and Workforce Dev Pros:

CCW improves the placement of your students and job-seekers into work-based learning and well-paying careers, and CCW helps you adapt programs to the changing needs of employers.

  • Learn details of occupations that are in-demand, pay well, and align with your programs, in our reports.  Give students and faculty insights on skills that are needed and career prospects.
  • Develop relationships with employers at industry council events hosted by LAEDC, to create internship or apprenticeship pipelines and place people into well-paying careers
  • Establish faculty externships in various industries to ensure your programs are adapting to future-forward skills and competencies.
  • Use the CCW Portal to engage with employers see what work-based learning opportunities are there, and connect your students or job seekers there.

Leaders and Interested Public:

Learn how CCW’s model of industry-education engagement is driving better opportunity for the people in the LA County region, and find ways to engage to assist progress.

  • See how the Strong Workforce initiative is delivering improvements in California Community Colleges, via CCW.
  • Learn which jobs have great career paths, with strong hiring prospects and career ladders.
  • Share our information with others, so we can together create more successful talent development systems in the LA Basin, that sustain families with good jobs, and solve talent gaps employers face.