Strong Workforce Program
SWP Funds Allocations
ANNUAL ALLOCATION AVAILABLE TO COLLEGES
Measured after the Chancellor’s Office withholds its 5% administrative budget and the $60 million directed to nursing programs.
Local allocation 60%
Awarded directly to community college districts.
Regional allocation 40%
Awarded to the regional consortia, such as BACCC.
Base funding 5/6
$182,400,000
Distributed by formula, not by application.
Local Base
$109,440,000
Regional Base
$72,960,000
Incentive funding 1/6
$36,480,000
Earned on Strong Workforce outcome metrics.
Local Incentive
$21,888,000
Regional Incentive
$14,592,000
TOTAL ALLOCATION
$218,880,000
Statewide, to districts
$131,328,000
Statewide, to regions
$87,552,000
BAY AREA SHARE OF THAT TOTAL
$40,363,067
Bay Area Districts
18.4% of the local pot.
$24,217,840
BACCC Region
18.4% of the regional pot.
$16,145,227
The BACCC is sponsored by the Cabrillo Community College District as the recipient of a grant disbursed by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Amounts reflect the Round 11 (2026-27) Strong Workforce Program allocation as published in NOVA.
SWP History
To develop more workforce opportunities and lift low-wage workers into living-wage jobs, California took a bold step in 2016 to create one million more, middle-skill workers. At the recommendation of the California Community College Board of Governors, the Governor and Legislature approved the Strong Workforce Program, adding a new annual recurring investment of $250 million to spur career technical education (CTE) in the nation’s largest workforce development system of 114 colleges.
Grouped into seven taskforce recommendations focused on student success, career pathways, workforce data and outcomes, curriculum, CTE faculty, regional coordination and funding, this leading-edge state economic development program is driven by “more and better” CTE. Specifically, the “more” refers to increasing the number of students enrolled in programs leading to high-demand, high-wage jobs. In contrast, the “better” focuses on improving program quality, as evidenced by more students completing or transferring programs, gaining employment, or improving their earnings.
The SWP funds are divided into two streams: Local (60%) and Regional (40%). Local Funds are provided directly to the Bay Area Colleges to implement projects at the local level. The BACCC provides oversight of the Regional Funds, which are intended to support efforts to address regional workforce development needs and must be allocated by a vote of the 28-member colleges. One of the fundamental purposes of the regional consortia and the Strong Workforce Program (SWP) Regional Funds is to identify, prioritize, and resource workforce development efforts across the Bay Area.
Specifically, these funds target challenges and opportunities that are best addressed through regional collaboration. In addition to direct allocations to each of the region’s 28 community colleges, our member colleges have voted to dedicate 12.5% of annual Regional Funds (approximately $2.5 million) to Regional Joint Ventures (RJVs). These RJVs are designed to foster and resource collaborative initiatives across the region.