When evaluating proposals for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, a crucial factor is the alignment with the labor market to ensure successful employment outcomes – an integral aspect of CTE. Here are key considerations:
- Living wages: does the program prepare students for positions that offer a living wage for at least a single adult in the region or county? Use the MIT living wage calculator to learn more about living wages.
- Employment demand: does the program address a regional labor market need?
- Transfer requirement: does the program prepare students for occupations that require a bachelor’s degree? If the majority of job openings require a bachelor's degree, then the proposed program should be established as an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). In cases where an ADT is not available, the program should offer articulated options.
In most cases, obtaining labor market information (LMI) is as simple as completing the Los Rios PPC LMI request form. The North (Greater Sacramento) Center of Excellence (hosted by Los Rios) staff will review the request and prepare a report within two weeks of receiving the request. The report will provide a snapshot of supply and demand and wage info, but not a comprehensive LMI analysis. If your request is a program that prepares students for an emerging field, then traditional labor market data may not be available. In these situations, there are two available options:
- Request a comprehensive LMI Program Endorsement Study from the Center of Excellence. This report takes between six and eight weeks to complete.
- Conduct your own research that highlights the demand for the program, such as regional economic studies, letters from employers attesting to the need, and so on.
If the program is approved by the PPC, a LMI Program Endorsement Study must still be completed prior to curriculum development. If sufficient labor market is found to exist, then the career education program may proceed through the curriculum process.
Education Code section 78015 requires career education proposals include labor market information as a way to encourage investments in programs that lead to gainful employment for our students. To determine if your proposed certificate or degree is subject to labor market research, please check the California Community College Taxonomy of Programs Manual. Top codes for career education programs are accompanied by an asterisk (*).
Questions?
Email Ebony Benzing at Ebony.Benzing@losrios.edu.