Brad Davis, Dean of SRJC Workforce Development
Our Guest Speaker for the April 15, 2021 meeting was Brad Davis, Dean of Workforce Development at Santa Rosa Junior College. Workforce Development is part of SRJC’s Career and Technical Education and Economic Development. Brad gave us a very informative overview of the many Career Education programs offered by SRJC.
Brad outlined key components of the CE program, including industry-trained faculty and support staff, flexible classes, state-of-the-art facilities, and over 100 certificates in a wide variety of programs. The curriculum is designed to improve job skills and student marketability. As an example, Brad mentioned that if you are taking a welding class, your instructor is not just someone who learned welding, they are experienced professional welders. Flexible classes are very important since many of the students have full or part time jobs. State-of-the-art facilities are required because SRJC has to train students with the same tools and facilities used in the workforce. The courses in automotive, welding, and culinary are good examples of this requirement. The CE curriculum is designed with the help of Advisory Committees, who are industry-trained experts.
SRJC also offers work experience opportunities for employed students. The focus is on the job site as a classroom for learning job skills. Advisors visit the workplace and make recommendations and suggestions to the employer and the student. Students receive college credit based on the number of hours worked per week in approved jobs. Some programs also require work experience as a condition for the certificate.
An important project is the SRJC Construction Center currently being built in Petaluma. This building was funded by a FEMA grant and by local philanthropy. The building will be used to train students in a variety of construction-related fields, including building construction, H-vac, and solar. FEMA’s grant was based, in part, on the incredible need for trained construction workers after the Tubbs Fire in 2017. The shortage of construction workers continues to be a major problem in this area, and the Construction Center is designed to fill that need.
Career Education is very expensive. Students need tools, uniforms, and other equipment. School labs need state-of-the-arts “stuff,” not just books, to effectively train students to go straight to journeyman-level jobs. The State of California has a grant program that helps fund these needs in junior colleges throughout the State. In the first year of the State grant program, 2016, the State paid out about $250 million. SRJC typically receives about $2 million per year. Examples of “tools” purchased with help from these State grants include a new ambulance for EMT courses, a diesel engine, and a magnificent new tractor for Shone Farm!
