The technological growth spurt that has come to define the 21st century economy should be a boon to job growth and career development. However, this evolution of sophisticated technologies only highlights the growing disparity between the high-tech market demands and the ability of the workforce to keep pace with technology. In the transportation industry this has been particularly noticeable with the rise in advanced skills needed to maintain alternative fuel vehicles. While this represents great challenges for incumbent workers that lack the appropriate skills, an even more problematic issue is the incipient lack of a future workforce sufficiently skilled to fill the growing talent pipeline. Extensive studies at the national level have targeted the need for early skills development in career-technical areas, particularly among students who do not think of college as an option.
The Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Initiative (ATTE) at Cerritos College has made a concerted effort to foster career pathway programs within local high schools that align directly with the college's technical curriculum. For example, ATTE provides an educational pathway in Automotive Technologies that begins with the Automotive Career Institute (ACI), a two-year program of career exploration in automotive fields for high school juniors and seniors, conducted in partnership with the Southeast Regional Occupation Program (SEROP). Upon graduation, ACI students can transfer into the Associates of Arts degree programs at Cerritos College, which are aligned to the Department of Energy, Power and Transportation at California State University-Los Angeles. An additional, innovative career pathway has also been established for students wishing to undertake management training at the car dealership level. Through a 3+1 articulation agreement with Northwood University, Michigan, Cerritos automotive students have the option to complete a B.A. Degree in Automotive Management, with Cerritos serving as a satellite campus.
For more information about this and other ATTE programs, contact Peter Davis at (619) 473-0090 or pdavis@cccewd.net or go to www.ATTEColleges.org or www.fourenergy.org.
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