We can do better. Established in 2016 to address a critical need for workers in key industries ranging from health care and information technology to manufacturing and business, the California Community Colleges’ Strong Workforce Program is designed to foster stronger collaborations among industry, labor, employers, educators and workforce development boards to ensure our students have the latest skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving economy. The program has worked well for some and a simple fix would expand its impact significantly. Current law prohibits Strong Workforce Program dollars — $290 million distributed annually — from being allocated for paid internships. Studies show paid work experience provides a critical bridge between classroom learning and the world of work while significantly expanding post-college employment opportunities.
The law needs to change. The San Diego Community College District is advocating and seeking the public’s for Assembly Bill 323. Introduced by Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Alhambra, AB 323 would explicitly allow our state’s 116 community colleges — including San Diego City, San Diego Mesa, San Diego Miramar and San Diego College of Continuing Education — to utilize Strong Workforce Dollars for paid work-based learning programs such as internships.
The need is critical, especially in light of Sacramento’s cancellation last year of the Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP), which helped students defray the costs associated with their participation in education-aligned, career-related employment. Students no longer have opportunities such as those enjoyed by alumni like Lexi Grey, who was able to earn $10,128 in wages via a LAEP-funded program at San Diego Mesa College. The financial allowed Grey to participate in a two-year internship at the Scripps Research Lab in La Jolla that facilitated her ission to Johns Hopkins University, where she is pursuing a doctorate and medical degree in neurology.
Exacerbating the situation, a lack of paid internships negatively impacts students who need such opportunities the most: individuals living in poverty and working to themselves and their families, who cannot afford to cut back on their paid work hours for unpaid internship experience. Indeed, studies conducted by the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions show that unpaid internships disproportionately affect students from underrepresented communities, particularly Black and Latino individuals, who often cannot afford to work without compensation. Fact is, paid internships are an investment that lead to higher-paying jobs — even when ing for differences in pay based on field of study, gender, and race or ethnicity. Unpaid internships, on the other hand, are not associated with post-graduation earnings benefits, according to a Strada Education Network study titled The Power of Work-Based Learning.
Career success is student success. Educational programs aligned with regional industry needs are a primary reason the San Diego Community College District generated $5.8 billion in added income to the regional economy during the 2023-24 fiscal year, with alumni now working in the county responsible for more than 80% of that amount. Paid work-based learning is essential to ensuring access for all students. AB 323 s a key strategic direction highlighted in Vision 2030: A Roap for California Community Colleges: Equitable Workforce and Economic Development, by increasing educational access for low-income learners to enhance their socioeconomic mobility.
The San Diego Community College District is grateful for the Strong Workforce Program and its role in allowing our campuses to expand and improve existing career education programs, develop new initiatives and invest in professional training among faculty. The program ensures high-quality instruction is the foundation of our effort to provide a more direct link between career education and current or potential shortages in the labor market. Now it’s time to take the shackles off. While funding is meant to provide students with work-based learning opportunities, current state guidelines preclude using funds for paid work experience. San Diego’s community colleges alone could place hundreds of students in paid internships tomorrow if Strong Workforce Dollars could be used for paid work-based learning.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office’ most recent annual review of the Strong Workforce Program calls for greatly expanding work-based learning opportunities. Empowering our students by providing them access to career-based, paid internships will help the Chancellor’s Office achieve this goal. Until then, how many prospective health care professionals, computer scientists and policy makers might miss the opportunity to achieve their potential due to this legal deficiency?
We owe it to our students, our state and our regional economy to this legislation.
Smith is chancellor of the San Diego Community College District and lives in Rancho Peñasquitos.
