California’s economy is growing, with more and more new jobs available for people with transferable skills. But California is also a very large state, and not all of its regions are experiencing job growth the same way.
That’s one conclusion from a new report by the Public Policy Institute of California, which notes that “California’s regions have differing economic trends.”
Calbright students live all across the state – in 56 of California’s 58 counties – and know these realities well. Some move for work opportunities. Others are deeply invested in their local communities, including raising their families, working for local and regional businesses, and trying to build stable lives for themselves. Like all of California’s working adults, the economic opportunities of the place they live is top of mind.
The ongoing economic divide between urban and coastal regions like the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and rural and inland areas like the Central Valley and Inland Empire, is significant. That divide appears in raw capital and wages: PPICnotes that the per capita income in the Bay Area at $131,000 is “more than double that of the far north, Central Valley, and Inland Empire.”
But economic divide and wage disparities also appear in the kinds of jobs and opportunities that are available.
Job growth is more robust in many rural and inland areas of California than it is in the urban areas, the Institute notes: “Jobs overall in the Inland Empire and Central Valley have grown over 8 percent since 2019, outpacing other parts of California.” But that growth tends to come from “middle- and low-wage sectors,” like transportation and entry-level health care — the kinds of jobs that are least likely to pay a family’s bills and more likely to be unstable.
That means that rural and inland California may have more jobs but less opportunity for the economic mobility.
“Potential for industry growth, changing migration patterns, and cost-of-living pressures will all factor into near-term regional economic opportunity,” the PPIC report says. “In the longer term, translating economic development in inland regions into higher wages and productivity will be key to narrowing the economic divide between coastal and inland California.”
Is Flexible Online Community College a Solution?
Companies across California need skilled workers for good jobs. California, like the nation as a whole, is facing a crisis: increasingly there are more job openings for skilled workers in crucial sectors than there are qualified applicants. “Policies that boost employment among groups with low workforce participation rates will be critical to meeting the state’s labor needs,” the Public PolicyInstitute of California says.
The question becomes how to get the education and job training opportunities to the inland and rural California communities that can benefit most from it. More educational opportunities can be a great solution, because in California about 10% of primary and secondary students — more than half a million — live in rural areas. But many of them struggle to go to college in part because there are simply no colleges near them.
But California has a solution to the lack of accessible community colleges for adults, and the skills gap that is holding economic and job opportunities back.
A New Kind Of College – Accessible To Everyone
Just over five years ago, Calbright College started accepting students. A new kind of college, re-imagined by the California Legislature, Calbright is designed specifically to help adults for whom traditional college is inaccessible get the education and job training they need to earn higher wages, make a job change, or otherwise set themselves up for success in California’s evolving labor market..
Calbright is accessible to all Californians over 18, including those in rural areas. It is online, so that location isn’t a factor. For students who don’t have access to the internet or a device, Calbright provides laptops and wifi hotspots free of charge. Calbright programs are also free, so cost isn’t a factor – no one has to go into debt to attend Calbright.
Calbright accepts all adult Californians with a high school degree or equivalent who apply – there’s minimal paperwork and no red tape. It’s simple.
Calbright is also flexibly paced, making it compatible with the busy schedule of working adults and parents or caregivers. Students take classes whenever it’s convenient for them, whether it’s for a half-hour first thing in the morning, 15 minutes at night, or on breaks at work. Their education works around their schedule. Many Calbright students say that flexibility is even more important to them than Calbright’s free cost.
Finally, Calbright doesn’t offer traditional degrees: it offers certificates in industry-valued skills like Project Management, Data Analysis, IT Support, and Cybersecurity. These certificates are aligned closely with industry standards and hiring trends, so they represent the skills and experience that companies are actively looking for. They are also designed to be completed in less than a year – sometimes much less – so that students can quickly turn their new skills into career opportunities.
This makes the education many adults need to advance their careers available to students in rural areas, and means that people in rural areas don’t need to leave their communities just to get job opportunities. It’s good for them, their communities, and California as a whole.
It’s a solution that works, and it’s needed. “Helping Californians attain the skills needed for jobs that offer good wages and career prospects,” the Public Policy Institute of California report notes, “could help encourage more Californians to join the workforce.” And that “will be critical to meeting the state’s labor needs.”
