Workforce Development Funding

Strong Workforce Program (SWP): The California Community College Chancellor’s Office provides funding for More and Better Career Technical Education that increases social mobility and fuels regional economies with skilled workers. 

The “more” is increasing the number of students enrolled in programs leading to high-demand, high-wage jobs. The “better” is improving program quality, as evidenced by more students completing or transferring programs, getting employed, or improving their earnings.

To develop more workforce opportunities and lift low-wage workers into living-wage jobs, California took a bold step in 2016 to create one million more middle-skill jobs. At the recommendation of the California Community College Board of Governors, the Governor and Legislature approved the Strong Workforce Program, adding a new annually recurring statewide investment of $248 million to spur career technical education (CTE) in the nation’s most extensive workforce development system of 116 colleges.

SWP funding is structured as a 60 percent Local Share allocation for each community college district and a 40 percent Regional Share determined by each regional consortium of colleges.  Visit the San Diego & Imperial Community Colleges Regional Consortium. 

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The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law by President Trump on July 31, 2018. This bipartisan measure reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) and continued Congress's commitment to providing nearly $1.3 billion annually for career and technical education (CTE) programs for our nation’s youth and adults.

Perkins V represents a significant opportunity to expand opportunities for every student to explore, choose, and follow career and technical education programs of study and career pathways to earn credentials of value. As States and local communities embark on the development of new plans for CTE, the Department hopes that the videos, resources, links, and media found below and throughout this Website can be helpful tools for States and local recipients in "rethinking CTE" and arriving at bold goals under the newly authorized Perkins V statute.

Key Principles: 

• Focus on a student-centered delivery of services for all K–14+ college and career pathways.
• Promote equity and access by eliminating institutional barriers and achievement gaps.
• Achieve system alignment in the economic regions of the State to create a comprehensive and well-defined system of articulation of high-quality K–14+ pathway courses.
• Support continuous improvement and capacity building at all levels and ensure that state priorities and direction lead the state plan. Leverage opportunities in Perkins V to assist in accomplishing the State goals and objectives for student achievement components.

Perkins Core Indicator Performance Metrics Dashboard. 

Southwestern utilizes both Perkins and Strong Workforce to annually fund approved Career Education programs and services that support enrollment, completion, and employment of Career Education students.

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Below are tools and resources for accessing data about the local labor markets, the CE program's recent performance, and a variety of other student success metrics related to Career Education.

SWC Data Resource Page - This page provides resources to assist faculty, staff, and the community in obtaining and using data regarding Southwestern College. Regional, state, and national sources for higher education data and labor market information are also included on this page.

SWC Data Dashboards Page - These Dashboards track outcomes and related metrics for institutional plans, student equity, AB705 reform, and other key topics. 

Tip: Navigate to the Career Education Employment and Labor Market Information section to view information about regional supply and demand, wages, employment outcomes, and Perkins Core Indicator performance. 

Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA): The CLNA aims to help educators identify, understand, and prioritize the needs that districts and schools must address to improve performance and decrease performance gaps. The CLNA is a requirement for Perkins V and is meant to encourage data-driven decision-making for local investment.

• SWC CLNA 2026
• SWC CLNA 2024
• SWC CLNA 2022
• Regional Plan CRNA 2024 - The San Diego/Imperial Regional produces this regional version to help augment and assist with our planning process
• SWC Economic & Workforce Development (EWD) Strategic Plan: This report combines the findings from the two phases of research and examines the internal and external factors at Southwestern College to highlight key opportunities for the college to better serve its students and the broader community as they relate to economic and workforce development.
  • SWC EWD Strategic Plan 2025-2027 - Coming Soon
  • SWC EWD Strategic Plan 2022-2024

Additional Data Resources

• Center of Excellence (COE) San Diego
• California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office DataVista
• California Employment Development Department (EDD) Labor Market Information
• California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office CTE Perkins V Core Indicator Reports
• O*NET

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The Workforce Office supports Career Education faculty who lead required Industry Advisory Committee meetings throughout the academic year. Resources are available to support the success of these efforts on an ongoing basis.

Each program (TOP Code) is eligible for a Faculty Advisory Committee Coordination Stipend of $500. The $500 stipend may be split between two faculty per request.  

Step 1: Please notify the Workforce Office (btucker@swccd.edu) of your scheduled industry advisory committee meeting date and time.  

Step 2: If you would like to receive the $500 coordination stipend, please contact Briana Tucker (btucker@swccd.edu) at least two (2) weeks before the meeting to allow time for administrative approvals. Timesheets will be issued once all deliverables have been submitted. 

DELIVERABLES: 

• Industry Advisory Committee membership list (names, title, organization, email)
• Meeting agenda
• Meeting minutes/notes

Note: Industry Advisory Committees must have at least 5 non-SWC attendees to receive a stipend. We recommend that meetings are scheduled early to allow for flexibility to reschedule low-attendance meetings or host an additional one to meet the requirement. 

Step 3: Please use our Advisory Committee Request form to request assistance to help coordinate or support your committee meeting. 

Advisory Committee Handbook

Please note: CE Program without an Industry Advisory Committee will be out of compliance with Ed Code, Title V, CTE State Plan, and Perkins and, therefore, can become a potential candidate for program discontinuance. 

CE Programs without active (meets annually at a minimum) Industry Advisory Committees will not be eligible for Perkins or Strong Workforce funding. 

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Approximate Annual Fund Amount: $700,000*

*The size of this fund varies based on our annual Perkins allocation in addition to our local Strong Workforce base allocation and incentive funds. 

Fund Summary: These funds are intended to improve or enhance your Career Education program. As you explore your program needs through Program Review, FHP, Advisory Committee feedback, and other sources, we encourage you to formulate your responses to the questions within the application with the intent of ensuring that ALL students have access to Career Education programs and services. These resources are available to ensure that students enroll, retain, complete, and obtain employment in their field of study. 

Please note: Tutoring will not be funded through the Annual Funding Application process. There is now a separate fund application for tutoring requests. 

Typical Funding Timeline: 

• Application Portal Opens: Mid-October
• Initial Faculty Submission: Mid-November
• Final Application Submission: January 30th
• Applications Reviewed: February
• Funding Prioritization Established: First two weeks of March
• Funding applications due to the State Chancellor’s Office: May/June
• Allocations available for spending: Between September & October

Additional Information & Resources:

• CE Funding Guidelines
• CE Funding Timeline
• Rubric
• Example Proposals & Budget Sheets

Apply Now

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Approximate Annual Fund Amount: $61,000

Fund Summary: New for 2026! Faculty Program Enhancement Stipend application combines all the below opportunities in one application. The Stipend funding is available to faculty to facilitate program enhancement or support CE programs. Faculty can select activities and receive stipends for the following:

• Curriculum Development Projects
• Marketing Project
• Partnering/Maintaining Industry Alignment
• Faculty Outreach Event Stipends
• CE High School Articulation & Adult School Pathways Projects
• Special Event Project

Application Timing:

Applications will be accepted during the first 30 days of each semester, and faculty are encouraged to apply for all activities they plan to undertake during the semester. 

Applications are accepted throughout the semester. Faculty are strongly encouraged to submit requests within the first 30 days of the term—or earlier—to allow sufficient time for review, approval, and completion. Early submission provides the greatest flexibility for implementing approved activities.

Requests submitted later in the semester will still be considered; however, approval may be limited based on timing, available funding, and the feasibility of completing the proposed activity within the remaining term.

Approval Process:

The approval process for Career Education faculty (part-time or full-time) seeking stipends to complete Program Enhancement activities shall be as follows:

1. Faculty collaborate with the School/Center Dean to identify faculty to conduct identified activities
2. A single faculty lead will be identified to complete the application
3. The School/Center Dean will review and approve the proposal once submitted
4. The Workforce Office will review and provide final approval

Please note: The dean's approval of the application is not an approval to begin work. No work should be started before an HRT is processed, approved by HR, and the faculty has been notified by the Workforce Team that work may commence. 

Not Eligible (unless authorized by VPAA):

• Program with Directors
• Department Chairs
• Faculty who are already receiving release time or a stipend to complete similar work

Criteria:

• 1 TOP or CIP Code per application
• There is no limit to the number of faculty who can apply for activities under a TOP or CIP Code
• Available for CE faculty/CE Programs only
• Each activity may be split between up to two faculty per TOP or CIP Code
• Deliverables must be submitted to receive compensation (see page 3 for deliverables information)

*No work can be started until both the application and HRT are approved

Additional Information & Resources:

• Full Faculty Program Enhancement Stipend Application Criteria

Apply Now (Coming Soon)

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Current Fund Size: $56,000

Fund Summary: Faculty, classified staff, and administrators who support Career Education programs may apply for professional development funds to cover costs associated with industry-related professional development opportunities such as registration, travel, and mileage.

Professional Development Criteria:

• Up to $3,000 for each faculty/staff member per academic year.
• Not previously included in another funding request
• Must support improving one or more of the following metrics:
  • Enrollment in your program(s)
  • Completion of students in your program(s)
  • Improvement in program Core Indicators
  • Employment of students in your program(s)

All funded requests will require a written follow-up AFTER attendance that addresses the following before receiving compensation/reimbursement:

• Identify how the professional development activity will improve the metric selected.
• How is the impact being measured?
• What will you be able to apply upon completion of professional development?
• Describe a plan for disseminating information learned.

Classified staff requests must include the identification of a faculty "advocate."

The school/center and workforce deans will approve or deny all requests within 30 days.

Please also note: 

• The In-Service Leave form MUST be completed and approved before any purchase occurs for an off-campus event.
• Requests must be made at least 6 weeks in advance (unless traveling out of state, which requires an extra 2 weeks to get approval from the Chancellor’s Office.
• We cannot fund out-of-country travel.

Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted for each funding cycle.

Apply Now

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Fund Size: $100,000

Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Up to $5,000 per program, per semester (including benefits)

Fund Summary: To prepare our students for high-demand, high-wage jobs and strengthen Southwestern College's Career Education (CE) programs, the Workforce Development Office is providing tutor support to CE programs in need. 

If you're interested in applying for these funds, please follow the steps below. 

• Meet with Shawna Hutchins-Williams or Emily Lohorn Carpenter,  Learning Assistance Services faculty, to discuss your program’s tutoring needs.  Be prepared to discuss how discipline faculty will support tutoring efforts by incorporating tutoring as a feedback session for review of assignments, exams, papers, etc, and/or an opportunity for peer review and/or contract grading.
• Submit a funding request through this application as needed.

Approval & Award Process: 

• The application must meet all recommended criteria
• School/Center and ISS Dean must support and eventually approve the request
• Once the School/Center and ISS Dean approve, the Workforce Director will approve it on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Award notification will go out within two weeks of receipt of the application.

Application Window:

Fall: May -June
Spring: September- November

Additional Information & Resources:

• CE Funding Guidelines (See Option 6, pg. 8)
• CE Tutor Process Document

Apply Now

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