Our History
Established in 1988, the Workforce Institute (WI) cultivates the rich diversity of our communities with economic opportunity while supporting the competitive workforce development needs of our regional economy. With an organizational history rooted in providing customized on-demand training, the new CCCEM will continue to include robust workforce development, while adding a broader vision of working with underserved communities to generate economic mobility. This variance in focus shifts the purpose and meaning of the organization directly to the strengths, capabilities, and needs of our diverse communities for economic mobility. Rather than focusing only on labor market demand, which has left many behind, the CCCEM provides programs that enhance a sustainable and equitable economy where realizable opportunity reduces inequality and creates a highly skilled workforce. These programs focus on serving students and community members with an equity mindset, which ultimately leads to a greater participation in our colleges, as well as an increase of pathway onramps leading to a highly skilled and diverse locally grown workforce.
The Work
The Community College Center for Economic Mobility (CCCEM) leads educational and economic advancement by working towards a socially just and sustainable regional economy ensuring the promise of higher education for a better life to the San José Evergreen Community College District’s (SJECCD) diverse communities.
In simple terms, economic mobility means the next generation is better off than the previous generation. Community colleges are transformational opportunities for students to achieve their credentials and positively impact economic mobility. CCCEM works to make the complex ecology configuration of opportunity fit together like pieces of a puzzle. When all the pieces fit, we make real the promise of higher education for a better life. The CCCEM provides our community with on-demand training, guided pathways, financial capability workshops, career exploration and readiness coaching, non-credit education options, and more in order to work towards bridging the inequality gap present in Silicon Valley. Included in this booklet is detailed information about the various services offered through the CCCEM.