The Rancho Santiago Community College District continues to implement initiatives designed to make college education and job training available to a broader segment of the community.
These innovative programs are all part of Vision 2030, the California Community Colleges’ strategic plan, designed to ensure equity in success, access and support to anyone seeking an education, particularly those who wouldn’t have thought a college was an option.
By implementing the directives within Vision 2030, the district has increased the number of apprenticeships offered by its two colleges, grown its dual enrollment program for high school students and added a new bachelor’s degree, all resulting in an overall spike in enrollment.
For the 2023-24 school year, RSCCD had a total enrollment of 106,05 between its two colleges, up from 94,187 in 2022-23 and 79,932 in 2021-22.
“The message is that we have a space for you here,” Chancellor Marvin Martinez said. “We have a spot for you in the classroom, and we are proving it every year by the access we’re providing.”
Santiago Canyon College has 5,600 students enrolled in one of the college’s 10 apprenticeship programs, among the most of the state’s 116 community colleges.
Santa Ana College, the other of the district’s two colleges, has more than 100 apprentices, up from zero a year ago, along with a dean to oversee its apprenticeship program.
Due in large part to RSCCD’s success in that area, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian called on Martinez to lead the Apprenticeship Pathways Demonstration Project, an initiative intended to provide students in its apprenticeship programs with a direct path to credit degrees and credit certificates.
Since it was launched one year ago, the Apprenticeships Pathways Demonstration Project allocated $200,000 to 25 colleges to increase the number of apprenticeships being offered.
“So, they generate enrollment, and so many of those students are on a path to earn an occupational certificate or possibly be close to earning an associate of arts degree,” the chancellor said. “And that was a big part of the program, and the reason it’s so important for us is that we don’t have to apply for grants to pay for the bills of running this program. Because these students are earning enrollment, we get appropriations. That’s the money that we use to pay for the cost of the program. So, it works out well for us.”
Students also have the option of earning a college degree or certificate along with every apprenticeship, Martinez said.
The district’s Dual Enrollment program, also referred to as Early College, allows students, particularly those from traditionally underserved backgrounds, the opportunity to earn transferable college credits while still in high school.
RSCCD administers the program through a partnership between the Rancho Santiago Community College District and the Orange Unified School District.
Santiago Canyon College had 2,400 students in the Dual Enrollment program in 2022-23, 600 more than in 2021-22.
“It is really an opportunity for students, while currently in high school, to get college credits, said Jason Parks, vice president of Academic Affairs for Santiago Canyon College, who oversees the Dual Enrollment program. “That’s kind of the highbrow of it. But I think more importantly, it’s about reaching those students who are in high school and college is not something that their family talks about. Maybe their parents didn’t go to college. Oftentimes they’re immigrants.”
Santa Ana College is among 12 community colleges statewide to offer bachelor’s degrees.
The college offers bachelor’s degrees in occupational studies and paralegal studies and will soon offer a bachelor’s degree in automotive technology.
“For the most part, all these degrees cost less than $11,000 a year,” Martinez said.
To continue expansion, the Rancho Santiago Community College District board of trustees in June authorized a $720 million districtwide bond for Santiago Canyon and Santa Ana colleges.
If approved by voters in November, funds would go toward renovating aging campus buildings, repairing leaky roofs and deteriorating gas, electrical and sewer lines, upgrading computer technology and improving access for disabled students.
The measure also calls for the construction of new classrooms to relieve overcrowding and expand the educational and training programs at the two colleges, the regional education centers and the district operations center.
A condition of the measure is the legal guarantee of fiscal stewardship and accountability.
Related Articles
On cusp of school year, UCLA buckles down on safety, encampment ban
Poll: Half of Orange County considers move, weighs prices vs. quality of life
Fiscal agility keeps Rancho Santiago Community College district budgeting on track
Rancho Santiago Community College’s early college program makes higher education attainable
Enrollment at community college district soars thanks to innovative programming
Leave a Reply