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President’s Message
As our 2018 spring semester draws to a close, we find ourselves celebrating some of our notable accomplishments for the year while already exploring options to further strengthen the climate of student success.
A highlight of these recent honors are the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stars awarded to Rio Hondo College’s career and technical education (CTE) programs – a ringing endorsement of the effectiveness of so many workforce ready programs to help students find jobs in their career fields with competitive salaries.
In some cases, these salaries more than double our graduates’ past earnings; in several cases, our employment rates are at or near 100 percent. These awards stand as a testament to our commitment to ensure students are pursuing their career goals, no matter what challenges they face along the way.
In April, we also celebrated Rio Hondo College’s mission with our community during our annual “A Taste of Rio” event. This program has become a hallmark of the College community’s deep connection with supporters across the region. Once again, the event posted record attendance and raised a record amount of funds to support our students.
Meanwhile, Rio Hondo College is taking an exciting next step to support our students through a three-year partnership with six other Los Angeles area community colleges. The partnership supports College Promise programs such as Rio Promise, launched in 2017 to fund first-year tuition for recent graduates of high schools in our service area. The program also provides priority registration and a menu of support services for those students after they enroll.
Taken together, these achievements and our continuing exploration of additional support services offer us a window into the dedication and focus of our College community on behalf of our students.
Career and Technical Education Programs
Honored for Boosting Wages,
Employment
Rio Hondo College is receiving acclaim for the ability of its career and technical education (CTE) programs to boost earnings and employment in
desired career fields for students who earn certificates or degrees.
The Strong Workforce Stars program, an annual recognition given by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, awarded a Gold Star, Silver Star and seven Bronze Stars to Rio Hondo College programs that advanced social mobility for students.
“These awards recognize one of the strengths of Rio Hondo College – the ability of our programs to help students discover careers that not only meet their personal goals, but also provide them with a substantially higher standard of living,” Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss said.
Programs were assessed on improvement in earnings by 50 percent or more by former students, attainment of the regional living wage by 70 percent or more and employment of 90 percent or more in jobs similar to their field of study. Gold Stars went to programs that boosted all three metrics, Silver Stars went to those that boosted two metrics and Bronze Stars to those that boosted a single metric.
Rio Hondo College’s highly regarded registered nursing program received a Gold Star. Graduates’ earnings rose 192 percent, 77 percent attained the regional
living wage and 100 percent are employed in a job similar to their field of study.
The College’s innovative automotive technology program received a Silver Star for boosting earnings by 104 percent and helping 100 percent of graduates find employment in jobs similar to their field of study. The automotive technology program is one of the nation’s premier programs. The program includes partnerships with major auto firms, including a new training initiative with Tesla, as well as a stellar Bachelor of Science program.
Bronze Star programs ranged from accounting to geographic information systems:
- Accounting: 66 percent increase in earnings
- Management Development and Supervision: 100 percent employed in jobs similar to their field of study
- Marketing and Distribution: 58 percent increase in earnings
- Drafting Technology: 73 percent attained regional living wage
- Licensed Vocational Nursing: 101 percent increase in earnings
- Geographic Information Systems: 73 percent attained regional living wage
- Fitness Trainer: 53 percent increase in earnings
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