Career Advancement Academy Receives $1 Million Grant Renewal

The ECC Career Advancement Academy (CAA) recently received a $1 million grant renewal to establish pipelines to college and high-wage careers for young adults. El Camino College offers Career Advancement Academies that run for the first eight weeks of each semester in air conditioning/refrigeration and welding. All CAA students work with mentors, receive books and supplies at no cost, and participate in industry tours with access to top-notch speakers and training opportunities. Applicable math, reading and writing courses are attached to the program, focused on material directly connected to their fields, such as reading manuals or applying math skills on the job. For more information, view: www.elcamino.edu/academics/indtech/career-advancement-academy/.

Basic Skills Transformation Grant

El Camino College recently received a $1.5 million, three-year grant from the Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to better prepare students for success in college-level courses. Funding will support programs designed to ease the transition from high school to college and shorten the time between basic skills education and college completion.

The California Community Colleges Basic Skills and Student Outcomes Transformation Program will provide funds to implement, expand and redesign programs in assessment, student services, and instruction in order to improve the progression from remedial education to college-level instruction. El Camino College is one of 43 community colleges across California to receive funding from this $60 million grant.

At El Camino College, grant funds will be used to implement professional development activities and a "team approach" to meet students' developmental education needs. In the area of assessment, a new process to place students in the optimal academic level will be piloted to ensure that students start college classes at their highest ability. In addition, a new summer program is under development, designed to help students place directly in transfer-level English courses. Existing programs will be augmented, including English tutoring and counseling programs. A redesign of math courses is also planned, and will include specific curriculum for students in Career Technical Education pathways.