California Competes

California Competes seeks to advance equitable postsecondary opportunities and a just and inclusive economy on behalf of underserved Californians by influencing systems-level change. In FY23, California Competes transitioned from a fiscally-sponsored project to an independent non-profit entity in April 2023. From April-June 2023, we made significant progress by pursuing a range of strategies, from promoting access and success for adult learners to aligning higher education with workforce needs, improving online education, and contributing to coordinated policy development and implementation. In our work to advance college access and success for adults, we formed a statewide coalition to support students with dependent children. We also conducted research that focused on identifying and removing barriers to re-enrollment for Californians with some college but no credential, ensuring they can access educational opportunities and economic mobility. Turning our attention to workforce alignment, we facilitated strategic collaboration among community colleges in Los Angeles County and local County government officials, fostering a cross-sector culture to boost career readiness. We also provided expert guidance to Orange Countys Community Economic Resilience Fund Highroad Transition Collaborative, which aims to improve regional coordination for economic development. To inform their efforts, we shared successful practices and how the county could connect higher education and workforce development efforts. Our efforts in promoting effective online education advanced through our California Higher Education Policy Institute for Legislative Staff in May 2023. This event not only educated policymakers on key issues facing the states higher education and workforce systems and shared ideas for policy reform but also led to a substantial $500,000 state investment for studying online education in California Community Colleges. Through Institute events like this, we aim to enhance legislators and staffers effectiveness as policymakers and contribute to informed decision-making towards reshaping systems to better serve Californians. In the realm of coordinated policy setting and implementation, we played a pivotal role as lead advocate and advisor for the California Cradle-to-Career Data System (C2C). Our engagement helped secure continued state investment for the development of C2C in the 2023-24 budget, despite challenging fiscal conditions. With California Competes CEO actively serving on the C2C Governing Board as a legislative appointee, we've provided thought leadership to shape board meeting structure and agendas for productive meetings and impacted C2Cs development. We also released a publication that highlighted recommendations for C2C to ensure the development of the data system leverages user-centered design to optimize usability and impact. Additionally, our Institute event for legislators in January 2023 prompted a bill to be introduced to improve coordination among those in the higher education ecosystem. Throughout the legislative session, we collaborated with the legislator's office, offering insights and information to strengthen the bill.