Career Training Information Blog -

Valley community college leaders are headed to Washington, D.C., this week to report progress on a $ 20 million career training program that would improve graduation rates and prepare students for jobs in agriculture, health care and green energy.

A federal grant puts 11 Valley community colleges at the forefront of President Barack Obama’s initiative to strengthen career training and produce more college graduates than any other nation by 2020. This week’s trip will be their first check-in with the Obama administration.

As trailblazers of the program, a lot rides on the Valley getting it right, said Tom Sugar, senior vice president of Complete College America, an education nonprofit working with colleges on the program.

“They will serve as a model,” he said. “They have a lot at stake for their students, for the state and for the country.”

The $ 20 million — it’s one of the largest grants in the program — also gives community colleges the chance to make a dent in the region’s high unemployment rate. Beginning next year, colleges in the State Center, West Hills and Kern community college districts will train 3,069 students over three years to be career-ready in the targeted fields.