Pathways Improvement Scope
Through funding of the K12SWP, our Biotech Pathway will have funding to increase college and career readiness for our Mira Costa High School students. MCHS will work closely with El Camino College (ECC) to create vertical course alignment that will foster a seamless transition to post-secondary and the workforce. This entails aligning and articulating pathways with ECC and business partners, while ensuring that programs are sequential and curriculum aligns with California industry standards and competencies and the CA CTE Model Curriculum Standards. Collaboration between El Camino College (ECC) is essential in addressing the needs of diverse student populations and promoting equitable access to higher education. ECC will serve as a contributing member of our newly developed CTE Advisory Committee(s) and be involved in quarterly meetings starting in fall 2024 specific to planning the proposed new pathways at MCHS. In addition, our community partner, the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SoCal ROC) will serve in a similar capacity to ECC and both will participate in our quarterly meetings to determine SoCal ROC courses that best align with the CTE/Career Pathways at MCHS. We will utilize student voice in creating surveys to garner interest and leverage next steps within our district for college and career readiness, always taking into consideration workforce need and leverage strategies for graduating students to earn the highest wages possible.
Goals & Priorities
LARC’s strategic directions for 2024-2027 prioritize actions aimed at promoting equitable academic success, particularly through initiatives in early college credit, dual enrollment, and K14 CTE pathways. Responding to the California Community College Chancellor’s call to enroll all ninth-grade students in college classes by 2025, these initiatives will play a crucial role in shaping LARC’s future efforts. An analysis aligned with the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act revealed that Life Sciences/Biotech is one of eight priority sectors, with an anticipated average of 567 annual job openings in this field from 2022 to 2027. As of 2022, the Life Sciences/Biotech sector boasted 9,860 jobs, with 40% classified as “middle-skill” positions, accessible through community college training. Despite the sector’s smaller size, it intersects with advanced manufacturing, enhancing job opportunities further. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation highlights the bioscience sector’s significance, noting it supports approximately 190,000 jobs and benefits from the research prowess of local institutions like UCLA, USC, and CalTech. While many roles prefer a bachelor’s degree, several only require an associate degree, prompting local community colleges to focus on biomanufacturing. However, the Strong Workforce Program has seen limited engagement, with only 268 students in Life Sciences/Biotech, representing just 0.1% of total enrollment, despite its critical status as a priority area.
By strengthening this program and creating a TK-14 pathway, we will send students into the workforce with essentials skills needed to target this need in the biotech sector.
Additional CCD Partners