Four College of the Canyons programs have been ranked by California Community Colleges (CCC) as Strong Workforce Stars, a new annual commendation for career education programs whose students show significant gains in social mobility and earning power.

The college’s Emergency Medical Technician, Administration of Justice, and Fire Technology programs earned a spot on the list under the Public and Protective Services sector. COC’s Water Technology program earned the college its second listing under the Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technologies sector.

Out of the 114 colleges in the CCC system, only 65 colleges made the list, which included more than 100 career education programs.

“It is an incredible honor to have four of our career education programs ranked as Strong Workforce Stars by California Community Colleges,” COC Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook said. “Career education is a cornerstone of our curriculum and we are committed to continue helping our students attain the skills they need to work in high-demand fields and support local companies to grow their businesses by providing the state-of-the-art training that a strong workforce needs.”

The college offers 26 career education programs, including computer applications and web technologies, computer networking, culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, and welding technology.

The Strong Workforce Stars rankings were based on the data of students who were last enrolled in 2013-14 in career education programs.

Career education programs were designated as Strong Workforce Stars if they met one or more of the following criteria:
70 percent or more of students attain a regional living wage
50 percent or more increase in student earnings
90 percent or more of students report that their current job is close to their field of study
The Strong Workforce Program was created with the goal to create one million additional middle-skilled workers to boost regional economies and advance social mobility. Information about Career Education Programs