Meeting Regional STEMM Workforce Needs in the Wake of COVID-19 Proceedings of a Virtual Workshop Series (2021) / Chapter Skim
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5 Riverside, California
5 Riverside, California
Pages 73-90
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From page 73... ...
In introductory remarks to the workshop, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the California Community Colleges, commented that people are adapting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic and are learning how to work, shop, and interact with one another in innovative ways. Those changes create opportunities, and one goal of the day's discussions, he said, would be to discuss today how these these changes can be beneficial to those seeking new jobs or career paths in and around the greater Riverside region.
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From page 74... ...
. He noted as well that during the week of September 26, 2020, nearly 700,000 more workers were on the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program for gig workers and the self-employed than were on traditional unemployment.
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From page 75... ...
In California broadly, unemployment claims by industry also illustrate an unequal effect of the pandemic, with retail trade, accomodation and food services, and healthcare showing the biggest increases in the percentage of the state's unemployed workforce (Figure 5-4) , and unemployment in the retail sector surpassing that of much of the rest of the country.1 In total, 1 Unemployment claims by industry were only available by state, and not by city or metropolitan area.
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From page 76... ...
unemployment in the Riverside metropolitan area is above average but similar to other inland metro areas in California, and total employment is more at risk of permanent job loss as a result of the pandemic than many areas in California and other western states. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 61 percent of the Riverside metro area's industry employment demand is expected to be affected compared with 49.6 percent statewide, while work-at-home estimates suggest that only 24.7 percent of the region's workers would be able to work at home compared with 28.4 percent statewide.
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From page 77... ...
In terms of ownership of computing devices, just over 80 percent of all households have a desktop or laptop computer and less than 10 percent have only a smartphone. GREATER RIVERSIDE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK PRIOR TO AND DURING COVID-19 The first panel discussed investments in workforce training programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the affect of the pandemic on their workforce alignment and learner access.
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From page 78... ...
degrees according to the National Science Foundation; and more Pell grants have been received by UCR students than in the entire Ivy League. All told, 57 percent of UCR's undergraduates are first-generation college students, and it is among the best in the United States, according to Education Trust, in terms of graduation success for Latinx and Black students.
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From page 79... ...
RCCD and the other educational institutions in the region are all deeply aware that the population they serve is both educationally and economically challenged, with one of the nation's lowest rates of college attendance and completion. This recognition, said Isaac, is what has driven the collective and collaborative approach that the regions' institutions are taking and that has led to strong, durable partnerships spanning the entire educational landscape, from kindergarten through the b accalaureate degree, and includes the region's business and industry sectors.
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From page 80... ...
He pointed out that by 2025, the Riverside region's secondary schools and community colleges will produce more than 80,000 students who qualify for admission to a postsecondary educational institu tion, requiring a significant investment in the expansion of the region's pub lic institutions if the region is to achieve its economic development goals. Boosting the Demand for Jobs Symonds noted that California entered the COVID-19 pandemic with historically low unemployment, although in certain areas of the state, including the "inland empire," some groups of people have not benefited equitably from the economic expansion following the recession of 2008.
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Symonds also highlighted an initiative that the Western Riverside Regional Council of Government has been working on, called Innovation 2030, that is trying to break down the silos that separate resources for entrepreneurship from workforce development efforts. Discussion Regarding federal assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, Symonds noted that the federal government's supplemental unemployment insurance program funds are fundamental if the goal is to help small and large businesses alike survive until the pandemic is controlled and businesses are able to operate without restrictions.
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From page 82... ...
For job seekers, programs include career coaching and job-readiness workshops that include providing help with preparing resumes and conducting mock interviews. Her office can also subsidize vocational training up to $8,000 per person, and it runs three American Job Centers funded by the Department of Labor.
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From page 83... ...
Improving Supply Chains to Benefit Workforce Development The Port of Long Beach, which lies just west of Riverside County, is the second busiest U.S. port, generating about 51,000 jobs in the city of Long Beach, nearly 600,000 jobs across southern California, and some $5 billion annually in tax revenues.
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From page 84... ...
Creating Opportunities for On-the-Job Training Cagle discussed pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that the South Bay Workforce Investment Board is running in neighboring Los Angeles County. The program is driven by employers' workforce needs, with a focus on the aerospace and bioscience industries.
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HIGHER EDUCATION'S ROLE IN ECONOMIC MOBILITY The day's final session explored current and future efforts by institutions of higher education to support local workforce development, with particular attention to increasing the diversity of the STEMM workforce pipeline. This session also discussed technology transfer and the growth and expansion of entrepreneurship.
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From page 86... ...
Kim's recommendations included increasing funding for the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technical Education program that targets community colleges, for Department of Education funds administered under Title III Part F for STEMM programs, and for Department of Education Title V for rebuilding the infrastructure needed to close equity
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Increasing the Participation of Women in Entrepreneurship Torres highlighted how inclusion, social mobility, diversity, and equity are hallmark features at UCR, including in STEMM-related fields, and he predicted that his institution's most innovative contributions to the regional economy are likely to emerge from the interplay of the university's historical strengths in research and education with the pressing need to address challenges posed by population growth and environmental sustainability. All told, UCR has invested $475 million in STEMM-related research, including $3.5 million in a life science incubator complete with wet lab facilities, and various testbed facilities for product and technology validation and for conducting environmental impact research.
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From page 88... ...
On a larger scale, Ford recognized the need for increased local and regional support for these diversity programs, as well as for prioritizing health equity and social justice and addressing systemic bias and racism in institutions of higher education. Discussion When asked how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected established workforce training programs beyond potential budget cuts, Ford said the medical program has adjusted well, with students participating in some small classroom settings to fulfill their clinical training.
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From page 89... ...
CLOSING REMARKS Isaac concluded the workshop with a brief summary of the key points he heard throughout the day. The first message that came through clearly was the recognition that expanding and strengthening the STEMM workforce has value for meaningful economic development.
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From page 90... ...
90 REGIONAL STEMM WORKFORCE NEEDS IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19 so many students experience. For Isaac, this adherence to equity issues will help ensure the success of the programs discussed during the day and increase economic and social mobility among Californians in under represented groups.
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