MARYSVILLE, Calif. – Earlier this month the Yuba Community College District (YCCD) received notice from the state Chancellor’s Office that it had been awarded a Career Technical Education (CTE) Initiative Pathways grant in the amount of $310,000.

YCCD was one of 52 colleges/districts to receive such a grant. The grant will allow YCCD to purchase instructional supplies and equipment, provide professional development for faculty and deliver hands on learning opportunities for students.

Specifically, the grant is for Woodland Community College (WCC) and their service area. WCC currently has a $400,000 SB 70 grant that ends June 2010 and which is targeted for agriculture and natural resources programs.

This new CTE grant follows the same industry sector, however it expands the scope of existing grant dollars to include concepts of integrated waste and water management.

Dr. Barbara Rhode, biology/ecology professor at WCC, has been working on the curriculum and will develop a certificate in this area.

The use of this new CTE grant will continue the partnerships WCC has with the Woodland Joint Unified School District, the Esparto Unified School District and the Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE).

The intent for these grant dollars is to create a career pathway in agriculture and natural resources from middle school to high school and then onto the college and university level, with an emphasis on sustainability practices and green technologies.

“This CTE grant has fostered a wonderful collaborative relationship between Woodland Community College and the Yolo County Office of Education,” said Lori Perez, program specialist for YCOE. “Ultimately, this partnership will help our students to develop and implement an educational plan at an early age as they matriculate through grade school and onto higher education, thus sending them on a path to both academic and career success.”

All in all, these partnerships have allowed WCC and YCOE schools to integrate concepts of green technology through renewable energy resources, composting, and restoration of natural habitats. Students are heavily involved in the Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) program run through the Center for Land Based Learning.

The SLEWS program provides expertise in the areas of restoration through planting of native grasses and creating a habitat for the natural species that may have left because of environmental changes.

Similarly, Yolo County ROP will also pioneer the integration of "green" concepts in many of its course offerings. In addition, students will also learn the function of solar technology and energy storage as well as how to repair solar systems and how to ensure that they are working efficiently.

Instructors Jerry Delsol and Marcus Tanaka have been instrumental at Woodland High School in creating the ground work for solar technology and cultivating industry participation and representation. In Esparto, green concepts have been infused in agricultural mechanics courses and floriculture and plant concepts courses have begun and are led by instructors Tim Reid and Amber Charter.

The grant has additionally helped Esparto secure transportation for their students to various agricultural sites to increase hands on participation and learning. This grant also allows grant partners to expand services to middle school and even elementary school students in the realm of career exploration, peer mentoring, and exposure to community college.

“It is truly amazing what has been accomplished with this program,” said Dr. Beatriz Espinoza, vice chancellor of educational planning and services for YCCD. “However, what is even more exciting is that much more will be accomplished in the future as K-12 and community colleges continue to work together at the local, regional, and state levels to ensure career pathways are in place to produce an educated workforce equipped to drive the green technology economy of the future.”

The Yuba Community College District spans eight counties and nearly 4,200 square miles of territory in rural, north-central California. It has colleges in Marysville and Woodland, an educational center in Clearlake, and will be adding outreach facilities in Sutter and Colusa counties as part of the Measure J facilities bond.

For more information about YCCD visit www.yccd.edu .