June event endeavors to create a seamless, student-centered transition between high schools, community colleges and the workforce.
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Division has been charged by the Governor of California to align K-12 CTE with local community colleges.  This project is intended to improve education pathways and career-technical awareness for students enrolled in K-12, High School Regional Occupational Programs, and Community Colleges.  The CCCCO states, “The community college system is assisting K-12 in building and aligning, as wells as coordinating CTE pathways that lead to postsecondary programs of study to prepare students for high-skill jobs with high wages.”

Later this month, the Desert Region Tech Prep Collaborative (which includes twelve community colleges and four Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) in Riverside and San Bernardino counties) along with the Regional Health Occupations Resource Center (RHORC) hosted a Career Pathway Development Workshop in Allied Health.  This workshop is designed to bring faculty, teachers, counselors and industry partners together to discuss and evaluate the most effective means for students to transition from high school to ensure college and career readiness.
This two day event kicked off with a tour of the facilities of Loma Linda Medical Center.  Faculty and counselors from high schools, community colleges, and ROPs will be able to experience the reality of those who are working in the health and medical fields.  The afternoon session introduced participants to the Regional Allied Health and Science Initiative (RAHSI) which is a program in designed to support San Diego County in health career preparation.  Resources will be shared to help students pursue any health training program of their choice, from technician to physician.  RAHSI preparation is intended for students of all academic levels and backgrounds.
The second day was dedicated to creating Allied Health pathways.  A pathway is a framework for filling in gaps between educational and workforce-training systems by addressing the goals of the student, educational systems, and industry as a whole unit rather than each in a silo.  The specific structure and content of a pathway depends on the particulars of industry, employment requirements, and existing educational programs. Each step on a career pathway is designed to prepare the student for the next level of education and employment.  This includes links between remedial, academic, and CTE coursework while maintaining rigor and relevance.  Career pathways provide relevant skill sets for evolving technologies and workforce demands that may change every six months.  Given their evolving nature, it is imperative for the educational sector to create and update current and relevant pathways.  Thankfully, our regional community colleges and schools are ahead of the curve!
The Pathway Project Goals are to:  
• Ensure pathways are developed in a collaborative environment, engaging faculty, advisors, educational administrators, and employers.  
• Create a visual document depicting coarse work, competencies, skill requirements, and credentials needed for related occupations in a particular industry.
• Identify a variety of ways for students to obtain college credit before graduating high school.
• Identify a variety of entry and exit points, as well as lateral and vertical movement with in the pathways; therefore it looks more like a roadmap rather than a career ladder.
• Provide counselors and employment advisors with an organizational tool to focus students and parents on career planning, career development, and career exploration.
The end result will be an organizational tool which creates a seamless transition for students in a variety of Allied Health Fields from high school to college to career.

The Desert Regional Consortium is comprised of the 12 community colleges in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.  Its mission is to communicate, coordinate, collaborate, promote and plan career and technical education and workforce and economic development in the Inland Empire/Desert Region.  To find valuable information about the Desert Regional Consortium, go to http://www.desertcolleges.org.