Meeting Regional Needs

Meeting Regional Needs 

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

As was the case in 2022-2023, there is a strong demand for better alignment of adult education programs with the needs of adults in the region as well as the needs of the regional labor market.

Though refugee newcomers, tribal communities, and underserved, high-need communities represent a significant number of potential students, only a small percentage are currently being served. Of the nearly 500,000 people who are 18 years or older in our area, ERAE serves about 4% of those with no high school diploma, 19% of those with limited English, and only 5% of those who are low income. There are several factors that created barriers to engagement: Existing transportation and employment corridors have always disadvantaged potential consortium students who live across the Mtn Empire region. The high cost of living keeps raising the opportunity costs for any potential student in our programs. Whereas the minimum wage/hour has increased by $0.50 (from $15.00 to $ 15.50, or 3%), the self-sufficiency standard (calculated living wage an individual must earn to support himself or herself for our region has risen to $22.61 (an increase of 13%). In 2023, a household with two adults (one working), one preschool-age child and one school-age child must earn $47.09/hour (for an annual wage between $94,895 and $97,947). The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment has increased by 49% in comparison to 2019 (to $2,270); other costs of living in San Diego County have increased by an average of 13% (including transportation, utilities, groceries, and housing). At the same time, the demand for labor is still strong (but with a smaller and aging labor force), especially in sectors for which our programs might provide training, and lower-wage workers have been able to find better-paying jobs. It is noticeable that especially women ages 25-54, Black people, and people with disabilities boosted their labor force participation. There is also a strong demand for more ESL programs in our area, especially to support refugee newcomers, asylum seekers, and adults whose first language is Spanish in entering the workforce and upskilling. These realities are reflected in steadily increasing enrollment numbers into our English language programs and a slower increase in enrollment numbers into career training programs. Given the current economic climate, our training programs and support services need to promote career advancement in shorter time frames for students to transition to postsecondary education and employment. As a consortium, we intend to increase certification offerings as well as offer high-quality high school diploma and equivalency and contextualized English language programs to support students in being able to transition to college and meaningful careers (and out of lower wages).

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Employers in the region are asking for better alignment of training programs across educational and training institutions. They are invested in partnering with training providers on earn-and-learn programs and other educational and training opportunities that best serve the needs of all our students. We need to foster collaboration by including business and community partners in efforts to build better, more equitable, sustainable industries (hospitality, construction, manufacturing, health) for all workers.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Students (have to) navigate very different education and training systems. We need to design and implement student-centered paths that clearly delineate on and off-ramps, requirements, and opportunities. This will require increasing awareness and comprehensive program design that addresses the needs of specific populations: English language learners (ELL) with significant other basic needs; ELL who live in the most Eastern areas of the consortium and currently either have no access to EL classes;  ELL who live near or below the poverty level and often work in entry-level positions without true opportunities for advancement; adults without a HS diploma; and adults with low literacy levels. Recent high school graduates (who might want to take time before transitioning to college) are another important target group to consider. 

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Across the region, there is a need to increase overall awareness of adult education.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

Be it during the consortium’s annual summit, advisory meetings, or at various outreach events, community partners and the community-at-large do not know about the opportunities adult education has to offer. Data collected by the regional Strong Workforce Consortium (Options after High school survey) indicate that most students grade 9-12 in the region do not know about available adult ed options. Data collected by the SDWP and the Centers of Excellence show high labor demand in occupations for which adult ed can offer short and agile training programs.