Sacramento, CA, (April 28), 2026 – Calbright College, California’s statewide exclusively online community college, and the National Laboratory for Education Transformation (NLET) today announced a strategic partnership to bridge the gap between workforce policy and practice. By establishing a dedicated “Education to Workforce Working Group,” the two organizations will develop and scale competency-based training in high-demand technical sectors, including emerging technology and AI infrastructure.
Moving beyond traditional research, this collaboration will modernize California’s workforce architecture by integrating real-time employer feedback with technology-enabled learning. The initiative focuses on creating clear, employer-aligned pathways for the 6.8 million Californians without a credential and the millions more working-age adults seeking economic mobility, ensuring that state workforce priorities are translated into scalable, digital-first education programs.
“We are building coordinated pathways that connect education, credentials, and employment within a single ecosystem — making navigation simpler for adult learners,” said Calbright President and CEO Ajita Talwalker Menon.
The alliance will integrate Calbright’s scalable, tuition-free instructional model with NLET’s advanced data and talent infrastructure. It will follow guidelines set out in Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Master Plan for Career Education, directly linking flexible skills acquisition to real-time labor market demand, and support the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) goals for Vision 2030, specifically increasing the number of students earning a living wage. The result will be more opportunities for more people to get the education they need to advance their careers in thriving industries.
Ken Sorey, Executive Director of NLET, added: “We are building coordinated pathways that connect education, credentials, and employment within a single ecosystem — making navigation simpler for learners.”
What will this look like? Several initiatives are already planned, including:
Securing the Semiconductor Talent Pipeline (CHIPS2AI)
California’s AI economy is one of the fastest growing sectors, and the partnership will provide the specialized training needed to access it. Aligning with the Federal CHIPS and Science Act, this initiative will accelerate the CHIPS2AI initiative to fill industry jobs with newly qualified applicants.
“We are entering an era of unprecedented AI growth that depends on a strong semiconductor workforce,” said Gordon Freedman, President of NLET. “California’s ability to compete economically and contribute to national security depends on building visible, accessible pathways into semiconductor careers.”
Equitable Access to AI and Tech Careers
Economic growth in California requires all-hands on deck, and ensuring no one is left behind in reskilling or upskilling for the evolving labor market. But access to tech careers has never been equitable, with many Californians blocked from opportunities into fields. The Calbright/NLET partnership leverages NLET’s GoEducate platform to support career exploration and credential stacking for underrepresented groups, particularly women in tech. It will also explore the deployment of NLET’s competency-based math learning platform “Just In Time Math” to help learners become work-ready in key skills – a tool already supported by and in use across the California Community Colleges system.
“Women and communities of color remain underrepresented across technical occupations,” said Shannon McCarty, Vice President of Learning and Instruction at Calbright. “By integrating flexible certification pathways with broader degree and career mobility options, we can remove friction and expand opportunities for more Californians.”
The combination of human-centered technological and educational innovation that Calbright and NLET are leading offers a replicable solution to the fragmentation of workforce systems, ensuring that public investment yields verifiable wage gains and industry alignment, meaningfully reshaping California’s workforce landscape. It will improve the lives of millions of Californians, as they power our state’s continued economic success.
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