Workforce Development Funding

Faculty Resource Page

Faculty teaching Career Education courses at Southwestern College have access to resources, data, and important information that will assist them in ensuring their programs produce a workforce that drives our current local economy.

Below, faculty will find information on available resources, guidelines, processes, and funding applications.

Workforce Funding Overviews & Resources

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.
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.
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 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
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
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 minimum) Industry Advisory Committees will not be eligible for Perkins or Strong Workforce funding.

Faculty Funding Opportunities & Applications

There are a variety of resources available for Career Education faculty to apply for, including an annual funding application process (each fall) and ongoing funding opportunities available throughout the academic year.

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:
Apply Now
Approximate Annual Fund Amount: $45,000

Fund Summary: CE Program Enhancement (formally Program Coordination): up to $3,000 per faculty per academic year (two payments - fall & spring). The total amount of the award is based on the number of activities selected by the faculty applicant. Activities include marketing, work-based learning, partnering/maintaining alignment with industry/related professional organizations, governing board biennial CE Reports, CE high school/adult school pathway development, and program review (programs with no FT faculty).

Review the Career Education Program Enhancement Stipend Criteria for more information and award information: Program Enhancement Stipend Criteria

Part-time or full-time Career Education faculty are eligible to apply for these roles, and can be shared by two faculty if approved by the School/Center Dean.

Application Timing:

Faculty must apply within the first 30 calendar days of each semester. Only after receiving approval from their School/Center Dean and the Workforce Dean triggering the issuance of an HRT, are faculty able to begin working on their enhancement projects. Compensation for activities that happen before approvals WILL NOT be funded retroactively.

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 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 Dean will review and provide final approval
5. Any HRT for approved activities will be issued with the school/center Dean and requesting faculty placed on the watchlist.
6. Approved program enhancement proposals will be funded until the Strong Workforce budget allocation has been fully expended.
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:
- Programs with Directors
- Department Chairs (unless authorized by VPAA)
- Faculty who are already receiving release time or a stipend for similar work
- Full-time faculty at or above 140% or part-time faculty close to .67 max load (25 hours/week)
Criteria:
- Available for CE faculty only
- One application per TOP Code
- Up to $3,000 for each TOP Code per year, with a max of 2 TOP Codes/faculty
- May be split between no more than two faculty (full-time and/or part-time)
  - If you split between 2 or more faculty, the stipend total will be split.
*No work can be started until both the application and HRT are approved

Apply Now
Current Fund Size: $54,000

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 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
Fund Size: $5,000

Fund Summary: Funding is earmarked for part-time faculty to develop or modify curriculum where full-time faculty are not available with the expertise needed. However, full-time faculty may also apply if they can demonstrate extraordinary circumstances or that the intended project is well outside standard contractual obligations. VPAA approval is required for all full-time faculty requests.

Application Window: July 1 through March 30

DEADLINE FOR INITIAL APPLICATION SUBMISSION: *Rolling Application

*The applications will remain open during the funding window mentioned above and while funds remain available. All curriculum development projects and deliverables must be completed by May 30, 2025.

Part-time faculty who would like to create new Credit, Noncredit, or Not-for-Credit Course Development: $1,000
- Deliverable: Complete "Start Workflow" in CIM and curriculum committee presentation for credit and noncredit. Approval from the Director of Continuing Education is required for any Noncredit curriculum.
- Development of an entire credit or noncredit award (certificate or degree): Per course compensation plus a $500 bonus
- If an award is created from entirely existing courses: $500
- Major Program Modification: $250
- Minor Program Modification: $150
- Minor Course Modification: No compensation
- DE Addendum: No compensation
Note: Minor vs. major modifications determined by Curriculum Committee Handbook

Application Approval Process:
- Applications requesting funding for adjunct faculty will be reviewed and approved by the School/Center and Workforce Deans. Approval will be within 10 business days of submission.
- Applications requesting funding for full-time faculty will be reviewed and approved by the VPAA. Approval within 15 business days of submission.
Information of Note:
- *No work can be started until both the application and HRT are approved
- Faculty will receive compensation AFTER they submit curricular changes in CIM
Curriculum Notes:
- Minor vs. major modifications determined by Curriculum Committee standards.
- All requests must include a rationale from the School/Center Dean and FT faculty as to the reasoning behind why the work is appropriate for a part-time faculty to complete.
- Faculty will receive compensation AFTER they launch curricular changes in CIM.
- Proposals that do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for funding.
Apply Now
Fund Size: $10,000

Fund Summary: To prepare our students for high-demand, high-wage jobs and strengthen Southwestern College's CE programs, the Workforce Office is providing opportunities for CE faculty to 1) connect with potential CE students at outreach events and 2) establish NEW internship opportunities with local businesses.

Available for part-time or full-time CE faculty participating in high school or other community events where programs are highlighted to increase enrollment.

Outreach Stipend ($200/outreach event)

Application Window: Rolling

Application Timing:

The application form must be submitted at least 1 week before the event.

*Max of ten(10) events/academic year/faculty member.

Deliverable: A student interest contact list, photos, and event flier/information.

Apply Now
Fund Size: $80,000

Funds are available on a first-come, first-serve 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 below steps.
- Meet with the Academic Success Center (Shawna Hutchins-Williams or Andrew Rempt) to discuss your need
- Apply for funding using 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 approves, 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 2025: May -June 2025
Spring 2026: Sept. 2025 - Nov 2025

Additional Information & Resources:
- CE Funding Guidelines (See Option 6, pg. 8)
- CE Tutor Process Document
Apply Now