We are pleased to announce the Round 1 subawards for the Inland Empire Regional K-16 Education Collaborative.
We sincerely appreciate all the proposals submitted and the interest generated for Round 1.
The projects include pathways of Business, Engineering, Education and Health.
Round 1 Subaward Recipients
Business
Pathways to Cyber Success
Project Lead: Riverside City College
Partners: RUSD, JUSD, CSUSB, LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, BizTek, Acorn Technology Services, City of Riverside
Our collaborative work is motivated by the critical need for cyber defense professionals, as well as the economic value of careers in that pathway. National Institute of Standards & Technology’s June 2023 news brief indicated a current worldwide shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity employees. PCS will allow us to unify and streamline the pathway strands we have built, and enhance those training experiences through a new cyber security learning center. PCS will create broader shared understanding of each partner’s institutional and student needs through collaborative project management that will strengthen the regional educational and career opportunity pathway into high demand security jobs.
Engineering
Seamless College Attendance and College Access Through Degree Pathways
Project Lead: California State University, San Marcos Corporation
Partners: Mt. San Jacinto College, RCOE, MUSD, MVUSD, Nuview Joint Unified School District, Lake Elsinore Unified School District, Temecula Unified School District, Hemet Unified School District
Transfer pathways establish a course sequence for a direct completion of a degree. A roadmap allows students to focus attention on coursework that will apply to their degree. Expanding course mapping across segments ensures that partners, four-year, community colleges and high schools communicate accurately and set students up for success. Together, institutional partners can coordinate problematic alignment to allow students to capitalize on these opportunities. There is a high industry demand for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in Software Engineering in the Inland Empire region, by engaging in many partners across the region, our goal is to increase access to students who will be able to earn their degree, work and thrive in the region.
Business and
Engineering
Project Lead: Fontana Unified School District
Partners: CSUSB, Tomorrow’s Talent, Give Something Back, Chaffey College, Additional K-12 Partners
Fontana Unified School District Cybersecurity Pathway Expansion
Fontana students have participated in events such CSUSB GenCyber, a week-long summer camp that focuses on cyber security awareness, training and career mentoring designed to stimulate student interest and competency in cyber content and career development. Fontana Unified and CSUSB determined that a successful existing model (GenCyber) could be replicated and expanded to include Logistics and Engineering as an integrated, learning opportunity. The college already has a five-week dual credit certification course that our students can take advantage of, and FUSD can expand current student services to create a wrap-around case-study model, including counseling, advising, and family support to incentivize students to complete their pathways and matriculate successfully to CSUSB.
Education
Students Engaged in Educator Development and Service (SEEDS)
Project Lead: Palm Springs Unified School District
Partners: College of the Desert, PSUSD (HR), CSUSB - Palm Desert Campus, Riverside County Office of Education
Palm Springs Unified School District has partnered with the local community college, COD to establish early college credit opportunities at every comprehensive high school including alternative education school in the district. This long standing partnership has afforded opportunities for students, especially those in Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways and programs to earn college credit as a high school student, thereby increasing their access to post secondary opportunities through advancement of their educational goals.
From Classroom to Community: Building Educational Partnerships and Pipelines to Diversify the Teacher Workforce in IE
Project Lead: The Regents of the University of California, Riverside - School of Education
Partners: CVUSD, College of the Desert, RUSD, RCC
The Inland Empire (IE) is one of the fastest growing regions in the state, with a younger and more prepared population than state and national averages. IE districts are facing acute teacher shortages and challenges in achieving prosperous educational and economic outcomes for students. This pathway will develop a more prepared education workforce, addressing both the regional teacher shortage and education attainment amongst students. Lead applicant, UCR School of Education (SOE): SOE accepts transfer students from both community colleges into its BA in Education, Society and Human Development, but wishes to strengthen that transfer pathway. SOE has an existing pathway from the BA into the teaching credential program at either the Riverside campus or the Palm Desert campus, referred to here collectively as the Teacher Education Program (TEP).
Teacher Preparation Pathway Project
The Inland Empire grapples with a notable shortage of qualified educations, as projected by the Centers for Excellence (2023) with over 1,00 annual job openings in the San Bernardino County subregion and 2,700 in the greater IE-Desert region. The proposed teacher preparation pathway aims to prepare local students for bachelor-level roles with at least 100 annual job openings covering over 10,000 regional positions. Early Exposure to careers in the field of education increases the likelihood of students pursuing teaching post-graduation, contributing to the retention of qualified educators in the region.
Project Lead: San Bernardino Valley College
Partners: Real Journey Academies, CSUSB - School of Education, FUSD, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Health
One Future Coachella Valley Regional Healthcare Initiative (OFCV RHI)
Project Lead: College of the Desert
Partners: One Future Coachella Valley, CVUSD, DSUSD, PSUSD, CSUSB, Healthcare Workforce Leadership Roundtable, Eisenhower Health, Desert Regional Care Network, Inland Empire Health Plan
Coachella Valley faces a critical shortage of healthcare workers. Population growth + aging population = not enough qualified healthcare workers to meet demand with expected increases. Regional health outcomes are directly related to quality and responsiveness of care. Removing barriers for local students to successfully complete health career pathways is critical to building a compassionate and responsive local workforce. The OneFuture Coachella Valley (OFCV) Regional Healthcare Initiative (RHI) will be implemented by education & workforce partners with history of collaboration & shared commitment to building the healthcare workforce in CV and remove barriers for students aspiring to careers in healthcare.
Business, Education,
Engineering & Health
Promoting Achievable College Transitions (PACT)
Project Lead: RCCD - Adult Education & Community Initiatives
Partners: RCC, RUSD, Norco College, UC Riverside, Department of Rehabilitation - Riverside, America’s Job Center, Additional K-12 Partners
The Adult Education and Community Initiatives Program at Riverside Community College District (RCCD) will lead a collaborative of colleges, high schools, state and county offices and the University of California, Riverside (UCR), to develop a pathway for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from high school to postsecondary education and into the workforce. The collaborative recognizes that a significant gap exists in the support services for neurodivergent students, who had Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or took special education classes while in the K-12 system, but who transfer to postsecondary education without this additional support. For this reason, members of the collaborative have been working to address these gaps and have identified this grant as a potential opportunity to develop a supportive pathway for students with ASD.
Coyote BLUE
Project Lead: California State University, San Bernardino
Partners: Victor Valley College, VVUSD, HUSD, AVUSD, High Desert Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
In response to the pressing need for enhanced educational opportunities in the High Desert community of Southern California, we are proposing a transformative initiative to establish dual enrollment programming for students. The initiative will support high school students in accelerating their college journey by allowing them to seamlessly integrate coursework toward a degree at California State University, San Bernardino. The Coyote BLUE Program is set to launch in summer 2024, with students enrolling in two academic courses and a university success skills class on the San Bernardino campus.
Learn more about the Round 1 Subaward Recipients.
Access the Round 1 Proposal Executive Summaries HERE.