California will help workers study online to qualify for jobs pay well, but don’t require a bachelor’s degree, such as information technology.
California is moving ahead with an online college for “stranded workers,” reports Mikhail Zinshteyn on EdSource. It will offer short-term vocational certificates, but not degrees.
The online college is being touted as another tool to develop the work skills of so-called 2.5 million “stranded workers,” people between the ages of 25 and 34 who have finished high school and lack a college degree or certificate but could benefit from additional training to progress professionally.
The online college will advance students when they demonstrate competency: Those who’ve learned skills on the job should be able to move quickly to a credential.
The online community college was approved by the Legislature after “fierce opposition from faculty and skepticism from some key lawmakers,” writes Zinshteyn. Gov. Jerry Brown called his plan a “juggernaut that cannot be stopped.”
California has “an insatiable need for skilled labor,” writes Nico Savidge. Starting in 2019, “the college’s first three programs will prepare students for careers in medical coding, information technology and supervisor roles in fields such as retail and government” that do not require a bachelor’s degree.