Improving Online CTE Pathways Grant Program

Improving Online CTE Pathways Grant Program

With an open access mission, the California Community Colleges are positioned to support our diverse population to increase wages and improve social mobility in a rapidly changing economy. The California Virtual Campus (CVC) created the Improving Online Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways grant program to meet two goals established by the California state legislature: support students pursuing career and technical education pathways and/or support students moving from the fully online Calbright College to an existing California Community College.

Using one-time funding of $35 million in the 2018-19 budget, the CVC awarded competitive grants of up to $500,000 to a total of 70 California Community Colleges to develop online courses, short-term certificates (e.g., Certificates of Achievement), and/or degree programs in a variety of CTE disciplines. College completed this work within an 18-month grant period, from July 01, 2019 to December 31, 2020.

Grant projects focused on three areas: (a) improving access to and quality of existing online CTE programs, (b) increasing the number of online CTE programs that meet workforce needs, and (c) supporting online CTE student access to critical support services and preparing faculty, staff, and campus leaders to support them. Overall, all grant projects focused on accelerating innovative online learning opportunities leading to increased employability and upward mobility for working Californians.