K12 Strong Workforce Program

In 2018 the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), in partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE), introduced the K12 Strong Workforce Program (K12 SWP). K12 SWP is the bridge that connects CTE programs at the K12 level to their CTE counterparts at California community colleges. The K12 component of the SWP program appropriates $150,000,000 in annual ongoing career education funding to strengthen the pathways for students from secondary to post-secondary education.

K12 SWP stakeholders include Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), community colleges, and collaborative partners from industry, nonprofit, public service, and community service areas. K12 SWP focuses on creating, supporting, and/or expanding high-quality career education programs at the K12 level that are aligned with the workforce development efforts occurring through the community college Strong Workforce Program (SWP) and Los Angeles regional priorities. Ultimately, combining K12 SWP and SWP efforts will increase career readiness and support successful transition from education to career.

K12 SWP funds are awarded to LEAs through a competitive process. K12 SWP incentivizes LEAs to partner with one or more community colleges or community college districts that are already immersed in strong workforce efforts. This cross-systems partnership enables the development of coherent programming in K14 CTE programs of study and pathways designed to support students’ upward mobility in the region’s industry sectors. The partnership also enables an LEA to use a partnering community college’s SWP funds as match funds, a requirement of K12 SWP.

There are two primary objectives of K12 SWP. The first is to support essential collaboration across the K12 and community college system, with involvement from industry and organizations, in strengthening CTE programs and pathways aligned with regional workforce needs. The second is to support LEAs in developing and implementing high-quality K14 CTE course sequences, programs, and pathways that facilitate K12 career exploration and the selection of learning opportunities that lead to careers. This includes building foundational career path skills and knowledge, enabling a seamless and successful transition from secondary to postsecondary education within the same or related career paths, certificate/degree completions, transfers to 4-year institutions, and preparing students upon completion of education to enter into occupations for which there is documented demand and which pay a living wage.