COD Included in $14.9 Million Federal Grant

The following is a news release from College of the Desert:

Vice President Biden has announced that College of the Desert (COD), along with several Inland Empire colleges working as a consortium, will share a $14.9 million federal grant to partner with employers in the region to expand and improve education and career training programs to help job-seekers obtain skills they need for in-demand jobs.

The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant program, which is co-administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Education. Approximately 270 community colleges across the country won a total of $450 million under this job-driven grant program.

College of the Desert President, Joel L. Kinnamon, Ed.D., said, “College of the Desert’s participation in this grant demonstrates that we are pursuing funding strategies to augment our fixed budget from the state to create the meaningful career technical programs that our students, and our local economy, need. Community colleges are best suited to work with local employers to improve local job prospects.”

The winning colleges are required to establish partnerships with employers to develop career training programs for in-demand jobs in industries like information technology, health care, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

John Jaramillo, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences and Business at College of the Desert, wrote the COD portion of the grant. The project involves the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition (HVAC) faculty, and K12 partners in the Coachella Valley. COD’s portion totals just over $1.4 million distributed over the next four years. Dean Jaramillo stated, “Our focus is on creating Energy Efficiency curriculum with industry certifications imbedded, career pathways in Energy and Energy Efficiency and job placement support from the county.”

The consortium is composed of College of the Desert and Chaffey College; Norco College; Barstow Community College; Mt. San Jacinto College; Victor Valley College; San Bernardino Valley College; Crafton Hills College; Riverside City College; MiraCosta College; California State University, San Bernardino; and University of California, Riverside.

The industry that the consortium is targeting for development is advanced manufacturing. Regional employer partners include the Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire representing: Ashley Furniture; Brithinee Electric; California Quality Plastics; California Steel Industries; Cott Beverages; Horizon Hobby; Michaels; Nestle Waters, North America; Niagara Water; Penn Emblem; Packing Corp; Safariland; Southern California Edison; Spray-Tech; Steelscape; Total Resources International; Ventura Foods; TST and Vista Metals.

The project seeks to assist Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)-eligible workers, long-term unemployed and veteran populations. The educational programs and credentials developed will be “stackable” meaning once a student completes one course program, they will be poised to “stack” or add additional complementary programs leading to an industry recognized credential.

For more information, contact Dean Jaramillo at jjaramillo@collegeofthedesert.edu.