San Diego and Imperial
Counties Regional Strong Workforce Program hosted their annual counselor
conference to provide valuable resources and networking opportunities that will
expand their understanding of local career education pathways. This enables counselors
to better educate students on academic pathways that lead to in-demand,
livable-wage jobs.
The San Diego-Imperial
Center of Excellence (COE) for Labor Market Research projects that between 2017
and 2022, there will be more than 47,000 job openings per year in the area’s
100 top middle-skill job categories that earn an average hourly wage of $26.70
(or $55.5K annually). Middle skill jobs are positions that require more than a
high school diploma but less than a four year college degree. The San Diego and
Imperial Counties region knows that in order to get our students into these
middle-skills jobs they need to have an awareness of the career pathways that
exist in the community colleges; an understanding of how to align their
interests, skills, and abilities with the variety of career options that are
available in our economy; an infrastructure of interconnected support systems
to help them along their journey; as well as ample work-based learning and
employment opportunities to directly link them to businesses.
Counselors had plenty of breakout sessions, and opportunities
to connect with community college and other post-secondary representatives to
learn what career pathways they offer and which programs prepare students for
in-demand middle skills jobs. The Counseling and Guidance Department would like
to congratulate counselor Jason Maher for presenting a breakout session on dual
enrollment.
