A regional effort underway in the East Bay-the Design It, Build It, Ship It (DBS) Initiative-is developing new and innovative pathways at 10 San Francisco Bay community colleges. IMPAQ International and the Career Ladders Project in conjunction with DBS have released a new brief, Crossing Boundaries to Develop Effective Pathways, highlighting accomplishments of the DBS consortium and its continuing work to establish effective and rigorous academic and technical pathways to success.
The DBS initiative offers the East Bay an unprecedented opportunity to build accelerated, intensive, and regionally articulated programs of study. DBS focuses on three industries that are important to the regional economy: advanced manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and biosciences. In addition to the 10 community colleges, the DBS initiative includes five workforce investment boards, two four-year universities, local employers and industry, and key community partners.
DBS is a regional workforce development consortium funded under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The Contra Costa Community College District serves as the fiscal lead for this regional effort.
IMPAQ International is the third-party evaluator of the DBS grant and the Career Ladders Project provides leadership and technical assistance to support the DBS grant outcomes.