When I answered the call to serve as your County Superintendent of Schools, I committed to supporting Career & Technical Education (CTE), the arts, and innovative educational approaches. The future of humanity depends on success in fostering the next generation’s healthy intellectual development and curiosity.
Today’s students who live in our community are the citizens, leaders, workers, and parents of tomorrow. If we invest wisely in these young people who are our greatest assets, the next generation will pay that investment back with productivity, civic engagement, and responsible citizenship. Tools for fostering engagement, such as apprenticeships, internships, CTE, and student summer employment, are programs that promote a path for today’s youth. The SLO County CTE Foundation collaborates with SLO Partners to support CTE, job training programs, and the arts. The foundation is funded by local donors, grants, and private businesses focused on CTE. Additional information can be found on the SLO CTE Foundation website.
The training programs facilitated by SLO Partners teach in-demand skills to help locals train for excellent positions with local employers. The programs are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways developed in partnership with employers. These programs, often called internships, job awareness programs, or work experience, create a path for locals to gain or maintain employment in San Luis Obispo County. Many pre-apprentices, interns, and on-the-job learning participants become regular or seasonal employees with local employers. San Luis Obispo County employers report that these programs provide a pipeline of skilled employees, reduce recruiting costs, and help match employee skills with workplace needs.
“The level of these candidates has already been established and vetted… you know they can be part of a team.” — Dean Mitchell, Lead Developer, Stream Guys.
Simply put, upskilling provides someone with more advanced skills through education and training. For employers, this means providing opportunities for employees to learn new skills to fill a gap in their organization. This means obtaining new skills to help individuals advance or pursue new career opportunities. Upskilling gives local residents new skills to keep them relevant in ever-evolving industries and helps them qualify for higher-wage jobs. Upskilling expands people’s skills to address gaps. Upskilling can reduce the need to hire new people by building the talents of existing team members. Upskilling also helps the local economy as residents and businesses thrive together in the community.
The recent introductory Dental Assistant Training Program is a seven-week course designed to kickstart a career in the dental field. According to Jose Angel Licona, a recent graduate, “Everyone at the program was great, very informative and very nice and welcoming, and this changed my trajectory of my career.”
Breanna Florentino reported, “Not even a week after the course ended, I already got multiple job offers. I am so grateful that I took this course.”
Work-based learning opportunities, including internships and pre-apprenticeships, offered by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (SLOCOE) and SLO Partners, assist students in developing soft skills, basic job skills, and work experience skills expected of applicants in highly competitive hiring processes seen among many San Luis Obispo County employers.
SLOCOE and SLO Partners have data-supported programs that also serve students who are disabled, second-language speakers, disadvantaged, and underrepresented in exploring career pathways. The collaborative efforts of our community provide space for employers across the county to facilitate career pathways. In 2018, we renovated a building on the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education campus to provide a training center, and this summer, the SLO CTE Foundation and SLOCOE leased a building in Paso Robles to expand offerings with a North County center. It is an honor to serve as your County Superintendent of Schools.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi
