Career education is redundant and convoluted. Gavin Newsom says he’ll fix it

Cal Matters

Adam Echelman
September 20, 2024
In summary
California taxpayers fund career education at high schools, adult schools, community colleges, regional occupational programs and for-profit trade schools. Critics say it reflects “an incredible lack of coordination.” The governor says he’s producing a “master plan” to remedy that.

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The town of Reedley has about 25,000 people — and five different public institutions that offer career education to its residents. There’s the high school, the adult school, the community college, the job center and the regional occupational program. In some cases, they work together to teach skills, such as welding.
Other times, they compete for the same students.
In a hearing last month, California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat from Torrance, said that he worries some workforce programs are becoming increasingly “Balkanized,” despite numerous efforts to promote collaboration. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll help unify these programs by creating a Master Plan for Career Education. State agencies are required to create the plan by Oct. 1, though Newsom hasn’t said when he’ll release it.

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