1) Lead Consortium Applicant: West Hills College Lemoore

2) Lemoore, California

3) Areas Served by Grant: 16 Counties in San Joaquin Valley covering 27,282 Square Miles

Eleven (11) College Consortium Partners of Central California Fresno City Fresno Porterville Porterville Bakersfield Bakersfield Taft Taft Reedley Reedley Merced Merced Cerra Coso Ridgecrest San Joaquin Delta Stockton College of the Sequoias Visalia West Hills College Lemoore Lemoore West Hills College Coalinga Coalinga

4) Project Name:  Central California Community Colleges Committed to Change (C6)               Consortium

5) Funding Level Requested: $19,993,050

6) Priorities and Strategies
The C6 Consortium will pursue Priority #2 by implementing a comprehensive strategy consisting of eight inter-related and inter-dependent elements, or guiding principles, that research has indicated result in significant positive outcomes in retention and completion rates and has shown to reduce the time to degree or certification at community colleges.

Improve Retention and Achievement Rates to Reduce Time to Completion

1. Integrated Program  Design – students will enroll in a single, coherent program
2. Cohort Enrollment – programs will be designed with a pre-determined sequence of courses, a pre-established life-of-program class schedule, a cohort-based structure, and a single program registration process.
3. Block Scheduling – provide a fixed classroom-meeting schedule, consistent from term to term.
4. Compressed Classroom Instruction – asynchronous instruction along with contemporary technology will be used to supplement traditional classroom instruction to compress seat-time requirements and to reduce the time needed to move students from training to degree to work.
5. Embedded Remediation – essential relevant math and English skills will be provided in tandem with learning specific occupational competencies.
6. Increase Transparency - C6 programs will be advertised, priced, and delivered as high-value programs leading to clearly defined credentials and connected to regional employer need.
7. Transformational Technology - C6 Redesign Education Delivery (RED) Teams will redesign courses cross the region to better use new and existing technology as well as blended learning models and will seek out open textbooks and courseware options in order to assist cash-strapped TAA eligible participants.
8. Innovative Student Support Services – the C6 design will embed student support services into program structures, using technology and partnerships with employers to supplement traditional support services.

7) Description of Proposed Project
The C6 Consortium project will implement one strategy with eight guiding principles bringing expanded capacity and efficiency to the grant project. California’s geographically immense San Joaquin valley covering 27,282 square miles presents challenges of delivering services to the potential target population of trainees as well as providing a large enough scope of employment opportunities in a given geographic area. The initial two years of the grant project will allow each college within the consortium to design and implement high quality training programs for individuals and industry partners in their area. The third year of the project will expand capacity and sustainability by duplicating these model programs within the consortium to other colleges who possess a pool of potential trainees and industries who could utilize the model curriculum and training provided by a host college. Efficient use of funds will be achieved by increasing capacity and reducing duplication of efforts by colleges within the consortium.

8) Targeted industry and/or occupations and related credentials: Health Care, Ag/Manufacturing and Alternative Fuel
Credentials: State Licensing and Certifications

9) Population to be served: 3069 students
California’s San Joaquin Valley is economically impoverished with an average unemployment rate of over 19%(1) , with some rural cities reporting over 40% unemployed(2) .  The current level of skills and educational attainment of the targeted population is distressingly low.  In Huron, no one over 25 possesses a Bachelor’s degree. In Mendota, the percentage is 0.5%, Firebaugh is 2.5%, and the vast majority of our small rural cities have similar demographic traits.(3)   We know the San Joaquin Valley is impoverished and the targeted population face multiple barriers to success in educational retraining programs: 1) complex and unconnected educational systems making it difficult to navigate; 2) family commitments that necessitate a pre-planned training schedule; 3) time restraints; and 4) lack the basic skills needed for program completion. Through discussion with employers and regional and national reports, we know that the existing educational gaps in the general population are more profound among the TAA eligible workers and other disadvantaged workers -- far below employer requirements in terms of math and basic skills.  Numerous additional barriers faced by TAA eligible workers as they seek employment include transportation issues (such as long distances to training sites, high fuel costs, non-operating vehicles) and chronic poverty limiting access to education and employment.  Barriers due to illiteracy, language and other educational hurdles will be addressed at each individual campus by providing appropriate referrals to counselors and other support programs. 

Trade-Impacted communities: Fresno, Lemoore, Stockton, CA
 Companies: The Boeing Company; Di-Pro, Inc. Aisin Manufacturing California, LLC 

10) Required Employer Partners:  
Agriculture Manufacturing – Dole Foods; TomaTek, Inc.; Olam Tomato Processors
Health Care – Madera Community Hospital; Coalinga State Hospital; Kaweah Delta Health Care
Alternative Energy – Toyota Motor Sales USA; Meridian Energy USA, Inc.; Southern California Edison Edu Center

11) Stakeholder Organizations: 8 County Workforce Investment Boards, CA Department of Mental Health, Northern CA Hospital California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Council, Psychiatric Technicians Union, local hospitals, California Prison Health Care Services, California Employment and Economic Development Department

12) Projected Numbers for Each of the Seven Outcome Measures

13) Public Contact Information for the Grant
www.westhillscollege.com
carolegoldsmith@whccd.edu

14) Keywords/tags: Employer Partnerships, Industry-Driven Competencies, Industry-Recognized Credentials, Developmental Education, Contextualized Learning, Career Pathways, Basic Skills, Modular Curriculum, Learning Communities, Health Care, Alternative Energy; Agriculture Manufacturing; TAA Eligible Worker; Guiding Principles; C6 Consortium; RED Team; Transformative Technology; Cohort Enrollment; Integrated Program Design; Block Scheduling; Compressed Classroom Instruction