Regional Joint Ventures
Strengthening Regional Internship Pathways Through Employer Training and Talent Development
Learning-Focused Matchmaking Model
Rather than matching students to internships based on prior experience, employers define the skills and project-based work they will teach, and students apply based on motivation and readiness to learn. This shifts the entry point from “who already has experience” to “who is ready to grow,” expanding access for students who show potential but haven’t yet had a chance to build technical skills.
Building Employer Training Capacity
Many small and mid-sized employers lack formal systems for onboarding and supervising entry-level talent. This project supports employers in developing structured onboarding, feedback, and training practices — improving internship quality while also reducing hiring risk and strengthening long-term talent pipelines for the region.
Project Description
To expand access to paid, high-quality internships while strengthening employer capacity to train and supervise entry-level talent, creating a more effective and scalable work-based learning model that benefits students and employers beyond the grant period.
Participating Colleges
The Need
The Bay Area labor market shows sustained demand in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) and IT/Cybersecurity – sectors offering clear pathways to livable-wage careers for community college students. Occupations such as engineering technicians, drafters, IT support specialists, and network administrators start at $30–$55/hour, with median wages reaching $37–$73/hour. Despite this demand, employers report difficulty finding job-ready candidates, and many students – particularly from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds – lack access to paid internships and project-based learning that build these competencies.
Project Purpose
This project expands paid work-based learning for Career Education students while building employer capacity to train and supervise emerging talent. Four Bay Area community colleges will support approximately 60 paid internships and project-based learning opportunities in Architecture and the Built Environment, IT/Cybersecurity, and Business/Entrepreneurship. A learning-focused matchmaking model – where employers define the skills and project experience they will teach, and students apply based on motivation rather than prior experience – improves internship quality and strengthens pathways to employment.
Measurable Goal
Activities
- Offer 60 paid internships/projects (15 per college) across four colleges, each involving ~162 hours of work-based learning.
- Recruit and retain 20–40 employer partners (5–10 per college) to host interns and co-design project-based experiences.
- Build a community of practice across partners so internships include documented learning goals, defined skill areas, and structured supervisor onboarding/feedback.
- Engage at least 80% of supervisors in structured training on onboarding, communication, and feedback.
- Achieve at least 85% internship completion, with 70% of students reporting skill gains, and track outcomes by demographic group.
- Governance: runs through a Regional Steering Committee with CCSF as lead institution and fiscal agent, meeting quarterly to review progress and ensure alignment with regional priorities.
BACCC Priorities
Career Services, Work-Based Learning, and Apprenticeships; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Use data to improve outcomes/Collect data wisely.
This project directly builds regional capacity for employer-connected, work-based learning – a core BACCC strategy for aligning Career Education programs with labor market demand and closing gaps in internship access for underrepresented students.Vision 2030 Connection
Action 7: Educational Access for Low-Income Learners · Action 10: STEM Access & Success for Underrepresented Students · Outcome 1: Completion · Outcome 3: Workforce Outcome
Increase educational access for low-income learners to enhance socio-economic mobility through high-tech/high-touch, customized training opportunities – including apprenticeships, work-based learning, and Learning-Aligned Employment Programs.Expand success, access, and support in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines for historically underrepresented students.