The Peralta Community College District has been awarded over $1.8 million in competitive grants to improve online career and technical education programs. Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College, as well as the Peralta District office, all received grants awarded by the California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI), Improving Online CTE Pathways Grant Program.
The California legislature and governor provided funding to support existing California Community Colleges in accelerating innovative online learning opportunities leading to increased employability and upward mobility for working Californians. The Budget Act of 2018 (SB840) and trailer bill (SB843) appropriated one-time funds of $35 million and provided competitive grants to community college districts to develop online programs and courses through the Online Education Initiative, the California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) and Improving Online CTE Pathways Grant Program. No matching funds are required.
“We are delighted that the California Community Colleges and the Peralta Community College District are aligned and well-positioned to educate our diverse population in order to increase wages and improve social mobility in a rapidly changing economy, ” said PCCD Acting Chancellor, Frances L. White.
The largest grant within the Peralta district went to College of Alameda, which was awarded $450,880.31 to develop Online Career Education Opportunities at the College. These opportunities include: 17 new online Career & Technical Education (CTE) courses; the updating of two hybrid online CTE courses; the improvement of access to opportunities for students; and the acceleration of the attainment of credentials for students in Aviation Maintenance Technology, Business and Entrepreneurship, Computer Information Systems, and Public Administration/Violence Prevention CTE programs. Eva Jennings, Dean of Career and Workforce Education at College of Alameda says, “We’re excited about the opportunity to expand our programs and offer online Career Education opportunities to our students.”
Merritt College received a $413,009 award in the area of Accelerating Online CE Pathways to Employment, in order to build new online credit and noncredit certificates. CE Advisory Boards will identify skills needed to fill employment gaps and will concentrate programming on Business, Education, Allied Health, and Public Safety, as well as collaborate with faculty from other colleges to develop coursework that can be deployed regionally in a shared sequence.
A grant in the amount of $400,370.00 for Improving Online CTE Pathways with a Focus on ESOL and Adult Students has been awarded to Laney College in order to create and expand online opportunities in: Business Management and Supervision; Construction Management, California Green, and Sustainable Building Standards; Legal Community Interpreting; and provide wraparound support through counseling and tutoring.
Berkeley City College, a recipient of a $282,300.00 grant for Innovative CTE Online Pathway Development and Quality Assurance for Students Success, will address gaps and build certificates to focus on workforce needs such as: Develop online course offerings and certificates in Multimedia Arts and Business, professional development for CE faculty in DE; and hire an Instructional Designer to coach, train, and guide faculty to ensure that all online courses created are aligned with the Online Equity Initiative Course Design Rubric. Dr. Francisco Gamez, Dean of Business, Science, Multimedia Arts, and Applied Technology, states that “BCC is excited to be awarded this grant to develop our online course offerings and certificates in Business and Multimedia Arts. We wish to deliver student-centered online certificates that will meet the workforce needs of our community and region.“
The Peralta Colleges District Office has been awarded a CTE Online Equity Initiative grant in the amount of $319,000 that will be used to: redesign the Peralta Online Equity Rubric and Training for CTE programs; extend the impact of the PCCD Online Equity Rubric and offer trainings and workshops to 300+ faculty throughout California; and train 20 PCCD faculty to incorporate equity principles into online CTE courses. The primary goal of this grant is to develop more inclusive career focused programs across the district.
OAKLAND, Calif., October 26, 2015 – On Tuesday, October 20, at its regular meeting, the Board of Trustees for the Peralta Community College District authorized the acceptance of a Career Technical Education (CTE) Enhancement Fund sub-grant of $505,052 (40% allocation) from Cabrillo Community College District, which is the Bay Area Community College Consortium’s (BACCC) fiscal agent that is responsible for the distribution of CTE Enhancement Funds from the California Community College State Chancellor’s Office.
In an effort to raise awareness of the many training opportunities available to community members who are looking for a job, want to find a new career or update their skills, or will soon graduate from high school, 
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