By Ann Marie Allen
In just a few years, the majority of all jobs in California will require postsecondary education, with over a third requiring a bachelor’s degree. California cannot produce the 1.1 million additional workers with bachelor’s degrees needed by 2030 to keep up with economic demand without increasing the number of college graduates among traditionally underrepresented populations. Identifying inequities in the education-to-employment pipeline is critical to effectively closing California’s degree and credential gap.
The overall proportion of degrees conferred in the state of California does not yet mirror the racial make-up of the state or our region. Latinos will soon constitute a majority of the population in the Inland Empire, and our region is home to a high number of young adults, the population most likely to attend college. However, households in our region tend to have lower incomes compared to the statewide average, with disproportionately high shares of children in poverty (25 percent, compared to 22 percent statewide) and many with parents who never attended college.
Traditionally underrepresented minorities are fairly well-represented in postsecondary institutions in the Inland Empire, with room for growth. Our regional postsecondary education institutions enroll higher numbers of first generation college students and students from low-income families than colleges statewide, particularly at the university level. Despite that, the educational attainment of adults overall in our region has historically been low. Only 21 percent of Inland Empire residents age 25 and over have attained at least a bachelor’s degree. This is especially true among traditionally underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans). The percentage of Latino adults with a college degree is currently at 10 percent.
By joining the Complete College America Alliance, leaders in the IE have committed to taking bold action to improve the low regional educational attainment rate for all students, particularly those who are most often affected by the “leaky pipeline.” Our selection as one of the initial sites for CCA’s Metro Momentum Pathways project has strengthened our collective focus on improving social mobility in the region and ensuring more equitable outcomes in our higher education institutions. Recently, leaders from seven universities and community colleges and representatives from economic development organizations gathered on the campus of CSU San Bernardino to advance this effort. You could feel the energy and excitement in the room as the group gained a clearer understanding of the support CCA will provide and how community partners can be engaged to address non-academic barriers to success such as food insecurity, housing and transportation, obstacles that cause many students, particularly underrepresented students, to drop out.
In the months ahead, these same leaders will work to build awareness for this initiative and its potential impact on the region. They will lead teams in creating action plans that encourage early momentum and, ultimately, timely graduation for many more students. The Inland Empire is poised to create a more skilled workforce and provide greater economic opportunity for residents, ensuring the ideal of the California dream is accessible to all.
