The Career Advancement Academies enabled underserved Californians – including students who were the first in their families to attend college and students from low-income families or communities of color – to enroll in higher education and pursue credentials related to workforce and industry needs.
Operating from 2007 to 2017, the CAAs aimed to increase the supply of middle-skill workers by serving underprepared adults ages 18 to 30 whose reading, writing, and math skills shut them out of postsecondary education and high-wage jobs. CAAs supported students by building foundational skills for completing postsecondary education and entering a career.
CLP conceptualized the CAA framework and worked with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to launch the statewide CAA initiative, designed to provide more structured educational experiences for students facing multiple barriers to postsecondary education. Early on, CLP forged a public/private partnership with the CCCCO and California philanthropic organizations— including the James Irvine Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, and the Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative—to support capacity building and coordination for the overall CAA initiative.
Rather than creating new infrastructures, CAAs seek to rework the system for delivering career education by integrating it into existing services. As such, the CAAs are not a “model” replicated uniformly across colleges, but rather a framework of common elements that provides each college the space for innovation in its interpretation and implementation.
CAA Partners
Colleges
State Center Community College District (lead agency)
Fresno City College
Reedley College
North Centers: Madera & Willow International
Merced Community College District
Merced College
West Hills Community College District
West Hills College , Lemoore
West Hills College , Coalinga
Workforce, Government, Community & Industry Partnerships
Fresno WIB
Madera WIB
Merced WIB
Madera Community Hospital
Fresno County Office of Education, Regional Occupational Program
Fresno Equipment Company
Sanger Adult School
Dinuba Adult School
Parlier Adult School
Anlin Industries
Fresno Valves & Casting, Inc.
Guardian Industries, Corp.
Arbor
CVCAA Program Materials
Primary Contact: Michael Quinn , Interim Vice Chancellor, Educational Services & Grants, (559)244-5905. Program information: www.scccd.edu/cvcaa
Central Valley Career Advancement Academy
390 W. Fir Avenue, Clovis, CA 93611
Colleges
Los Angeles Community College District (lead)
East Los Angeles College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Pierce College
West Los Angeles College
Mt. San Antonio Community College District
Mount San Antonio College
San Bernardino Community College District
San Bernardino Valley College
Workforce, Government, Community & Industry Partnerships
The Los Angeles Unified School District – Adult and Career Education
The Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board
The Los Angeles Workforce Investment Youth Council
The Los Angeles Community Development Department/WIA program –
The Los Angeles Community Development Department – Youth Opportunity Movement (LAYOM)
The San Bernardino Workforce Investment Board
San Bernardino County
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
UNITE-LA
The SEIU – Worker Education & Resource Center
Conoco Phillips Refinery
Well Tech Safety
South Bay Center for Counseling
American Honda Company
Tyco Electronics
Western Association of Food Chains
Economics & Politics Inc
The Distribution Management Association
Primary Contact: Royston Thomas , Associate Dean, Special Projects, (213) 891-2067.
Colleges
Peralta Community College District (lead agency)
College of Alameda
Laney College
Berkeley City College
Merritt College
Contra Costa Community College District (partner)
Contra Costa College
Diablo Valley College
Los Medanos College
Workforce, Government, Community & Industry Partnerships
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Oakland Private Industry Council, Inc.
The Unity Council
Oakland Workforce Investment Board
West Contra Costa Adult Education
Oakland Adult and Career Education (OACE)
Youth Uprising
Rubicon Programs Inc
Pivotal Point Youth Services
Familias Unidas
Street Tech
North Richmond YouthBuild
Youth Employment Partnership
RichmondWorks – Workforce Investment Board
YMCA of the East Bay