Skyline Receives $309,998 to support Career and Technical Education and Launch the San Mateo County SparkPoint Center at Skyline College

The Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges has announced its intent to award 2009-10 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways Community Collaboratives. Skyline will receive $309,998 in SB70 funding for the period February 1, 2010- March 31, 2012.  Skyline will utilize this funding to implement a long term strategy to support economic self sufficiency for individuals and their families and contribute to regional economic sustainability. This collaborative will partner with the United Way of the Bay Area (UWBA) and Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) to launch a SparkPoint Center, which will serve as a one-stop site for accessing multiple services related to employment and career development, work supports and public benefits, and financial literacy and asset-building strategies. The Center will enhance both access and success in targeted career technical education programs by integrating support services and instruction, and bundling the services to change the framework of support services for career technical education students. UWBA developed its vision of the SparkPoint Centers, drawing on various models including the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) Center for Working Families. This funding complements additional funding by the Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative to support SparkPoint Center operations. The SparkPoint Center will include Skyline’s Center for Workforce Development, The English Language Institute, the BESST (Beyond Economic Self-Sufficiency Tools) Program and cultivate an enhanced network of student supports including financial aid and career development. Led by Vice Presidents Regina Stanback Stroud, and Lori Adrian, the SparkPoint Center planning team also includes: Edgar Coronel, Maria Escobar, Adolfo Leiva, Regina Morrison, Virginia Padron, Rick Wallace and William Watson.

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