Workforce training dollars flow to local school districts

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Noel Neuburger | Sacramento Business Journal

A worker at Siemens adjusts a part at the Sacramento plant. The company is among several supporting a "career pathways" program for local high school students.

School districts across the Sacramento region received $7.5 million from the state of California this week to move forward with a sweeping initiative that redesigns school instruction around local economic needs.

Half of the grants for the program, known as Capital Region Academies for the Next Economy, are going directly to school districts. The money is intended to fund equipment purchases for some 68 separate career education programs for things like fabrication machines for advanced manufacturing classes and medical equipment for a health care-focused classes.

The career courses are akin to having students take a major in high school. Each major – called a career pathway – is supposed to be paired with real-world training that involves field trips and internships with local companies. Sutter Health, Siemens and Aerojet Rocketdyne already provide these opportunities, as do a handful of small manufacturers across the region, said a representative from the Sacramento County Office of Education.

Small businesses "have been really great about being involved in offering kids internships and opportunities to experience (training) in the real world," said Louise Stymeist, a program manager with the Sacramento county office.

Educators and administrators are staging a major push to attract more help from local businesses. The other half of the state grants go to support staff in Sacramento and Placer counties and for NextEd, a local nonprofit that connects businesses with schools.

The career-education money going to school districts averages about $137,000 per high school. Participating districts have agreed to redirect about $35 million in existing funds toward the effort, said Sheryl Ryder, executive director of career development at the Placer County Office of Education.