The California Community College Chancellor's Office awarded $600,000 to Sierra College to help boost career technical education in the region.
The money will be used to strengthen connections between Sierra College and area high schools through programs focused on science, technology, engineering and math, sometimes called STEM education.
The college's Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division will lead a collaborative effort to create new models of career technical education, strengthen existing programs and interest more middle and high school students in STEM courses, a recent news release says.
The new project will target Colfax High School, where new courses will be developed in response to industry needs, and North Tahoe High School, where an engineering and architectural component will be added to a construction program.
Nearby, Los Rios Community College District also received $1.5 million in state grants to enhance career technical education at K-12 public schools in Sacramento, El Dorado and Yolo counties. An apprenticeship program focused on construction trades will be enhanced by a partnership between Los Rios' American River College and the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Cosumnes River College and Sacramento City College will work with the Sacramento, Elk Grove and Washington Unified school districts to prepare students for careers in energy and green technology.
Los Rios' Folsom Lake College will work with El Dorado County high schools to create career pipelines in natural resources management, hospitality and tourism.
Funding for all the grants was provided under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Career Technical Education Initiative.
For details about Sierra College's grant, visit www.sierracollegetraining.com or call Sandra Scott at (916) 781-6244.
Call The Bee's Lakiesha McGhee, (916) 773-7630.
