Recently, Cuesta College was honored for its Career Technical Education program successes with multiple 2018 Strong Workforce Star recognitions. The CA Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office analyzed college programs throughout the state whose students showed significant gains in factors important in building a skilled workforce, for advancing personal social mobility via a substantial increase in earnings and attainment of a living wage, and for placement in a job closely matched with the field of study.
The following 16 Cuesta College Career Technical Education programs were recognized as 2018 Strong Workforce Stars:
Gold Stars (attained threshold outcomes on three metrics)
- Registered Nursing: 136 percent increase in earnings, 84 percent of students attained the regional living wage and 100 percent of students are employed in a job similar to their field of study.
- Psychiatric Technician: 245 percent increase in earnings, 86 percent of students attained the regional living wage and 100 percent of students are employed in a job similar to their field of study.
Silver Stars (attained threshold outcomes on two metrics)
- Licensed Vocational Nursing: 135 percent increase in earnings and 82 percent of students attained the regional living wage.
- Electronics Technology: 61 percent increase in earnings and 77 percent of students attained the regional living wage.
- Paralegal: 53 percent increase in earnings and 73 percent of students attained the regional living wage.
Bronze Stars (attained threshold outcomes on one metric)
- Medical Assisting: 158 percent increase in earnings.
- Paramedic: 95 percent of students attained the regional living wage.
- Computer Information Systems: 88 percent increase in earnings.
- Construction Crafts Technology: 81 percent increase in earnings.
- Computer Infrastructure and Support: 80 percent increase in earnings.
- Radio and Television: 73 percent increase in earnings.
- Nutrition, Foods, and Culinary Arts: 69 percent increase in earnings.
- Administration of Justice: 69 percent increase in earnings.
- Child Development-Early Care and Education: 61 percent increase in earnings.
- Accounting: 51 percent increase in earnings.
- Family Studies: 51 percent increase in earnings.
“Our Career Technical Education programs are top notch, and these Strong Workforce Star awards reflect just that,” said Dr. John Cascamo, Dean of Workforce and Economic Development. “Our hands-on approach, state- of-the-art simulation labs, excellent faculty, and industry partnerships make our programs sought after by students, and in turn our students continually sought out by employers.”
Cuesta College’s Career Technical Educational programs provide the training and skills that today’s students need for the current job market. Courses are taught by instructors and professionals who work in the field of study. For more information on the degrees and certificates offered by Cuesta’s Career Technical Educational programs, click here.
All 2018 Strong Workforce Stars can be viewed in the Workforce Recognition eShowcase on the California Community Colleges’ Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy website. The California Community Colleges is the state’s primary system for delivering career education, which is at the center of a statewide effort to produce one million middle-skilled workers by 2026, helping to lift low-wage workers into living-wage jobs and fueling regions with skilled workers needed by employers.