With a drought of talent to fill a rising number of skilled labor jobs, the state's community colleges may start sharing the cost of vocational education courses--from metal cutting to respiratory therapy--with private firms.
A $72-million reform package that the state Community College Board of Governors is scheduled to consider today would work to reverse what trade educators call vocational discrimination against blue-collar training.
Vocational programs have received little attention over the past decade as the state's 108 community colleges responded to legislative pressure to improve graduation and transfer rates to universities, educators say.
"Vocational education in high schools has been almost totally wiped out as we see it," said Nick Kremer, executive dean of community, industry and technology education at Cerritos College.
"Pressure to get kids into a university is driving everything, although only 10% will ever make it. It's hurting us because we don't have a pipeline into our work force education programs."
Under the proposal, colleges and private firms would design curricula together and companies would send employees who need training to the colleges. The campuses also would launch public relations campaigns to recruit students, especially from high schools.
If approved by the board of governors, the proposal would go to the Legislature for funding consideration. The $72 million would cover only the first year. Proponents say they plan to keep the project going through state grants and partnerships with businesses.
Julie Korenstein, a member of the statewide committee that created the proposal and a Los Angeles Unified School District board member, said legislators and students often place less value on training programs than academics.
"We must stop being elitist about our education system," Korenstein said. "A degree for degree's sake doesn't put food on the table or pay rent."
A recently completed study of how well the community colleges prepare students for the workplace showed that their technology was outdated and few people off campus were familiar with their programs, adding to the shortage of skilled workers, said Linda Wong. She is director of the Los Angeles County Work Force Preparation and Economic Development Collaborative.
Machining classrooms on many campuses were empty though machine shops were struggling to fill jobs, she said.
