San Bernardino County supervisors have endorsed an ambitious plan to connect students with employers in concert with school districts, community colleges and universities. The Board of Supervisors endorsed Vision2Succeed at its Dec. 18 meeting. The goal is to attract new employers to the county by strengthening the career skills of the local workforce. 


“A skilled workforce encourages a vibrant economy, and that is why we support Vision2Succeed,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Robert Lovingood said in a press release. “I encourage our community to get involved in learning experiences and programs that help to propel career growth and lifelong learning.

Across the county we have a strong system of schools, colleges and universities as well as training and job resource centers that benefit residents and employers alike.” 
One program already underway sends 14 students on a medical career pathway at Cajon High School to intern at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. The students are also enrolled in San Bernardino Valley College and get college credits. 

Reg Javier, deputy executive director of the county’s Workforce Development Board, told the supervisors the luminaries on the dais were made by third-graders at Bing Wong Elementary School in Highland to help celebrate the endorsement of Vision2Succeed. 
“It’s a new vision campaign that’s designed to strengthen the skills of our local workforce by connecting people to opportunities that prepare them for careers,” Javier said, “as well as enhancing skills that support and attract businesses to our region.” 

The program will provide information about career opportunities, job training, job readiness and employment, he said. The campaign will include a new website, Vision2Succeed.org, and a daily social media presence. 
 
County schools Superintendent Ted Alejandre told the board Vision2Succeed is essential to providing opportunities to the 400,000 students in the county’s 33 school districts. “It’s important so students not only graduate from high school but have a plan for what to do the day after graduation,” Alejandre said. “By working together on providing opportunities for young people, they have a vision to be successful in their future.” He said all county districts have expanded their career pathway curriculum to provide students with work-based experience in industries tied to the jobs of future. 

Dale Marsden, superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, praised the supervisors for making the Cradle to Career concept work. “We are working hard to build a college and career growing community,” Marsden said. He said he has met with John Mura, CEO and general manager of the East Valley Water District, on how to help train workers in his industry. The district expects to lose about 40 percent of its workforce to retirement in the next four years, Marsden said — all well-paying jobs that require college and career certifications. 

He has been working with Tómas Morales, president of California State University, San Bernardino, and Diana Z. Rodriguez, president of San Bernardino Valley College, on developing new facilities in addition to what Mura has planned at the Sterling Natural Resources Center. Marsden also hopes to get employers to pay the cost of two-year or four-year college degrees. 
“This is a system where we can take people from dependency to prosperity,” he said.

Marsden also referred to the luminaries made by those Bing Wong third-graders. “What started here in the city of San Bernardino is going to be a wildfire across this entire land,” he said. “You just lit a spark that is going to cause great success across this entire community.” 

Rodriguez reminded the board that her district has been part of the county’s economic engine for nearly 100 years. “We’re proud to call the county a key partner in building a stronger local workforce with initiatives such as Generation Go, which puts high school students on the path to success with internships and smart schools to succeed in the workplace,” she said. Rodriguez added that she was excited about the opportunities that Vision2Succeed will provide for the district’s students. 

Article from Highland News 
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/county-launches-vision-succeed-to-boost-schools-and-the-economy/article_8c1bc9c4-095d-11e9-b134-af36a92d09e8.html