The California EDGE (Education, Diversity, and Growth in the Economy) Coalition is a broad based, non-partisan coalition of California groups that have come together to urge that workforce development become a priority on the state’s public policy agenda.
The coalition membership includes community colleges, workforce boards, unions, employers, and community based organizations. The Career Ladders Project has worked with the Coalition from the beginning, and our Executive Director, Linda Collins, is a member of the Coalition’s Executive Committee.
The EDGE Coalition’s five broad recommendations are that California must:
- Invest in regional workforce and economic development strategies
- Provide all Californians access to high quality post-secondary education and skills training.
- Provide working adults with opportunities to move up the skill ladder.
- Link workforce programs and institutions to create pathways to high wage jobs.
- Align program goals and measures to achieve a shared vision of California’s future and to ensure accountability.
A copy of the EDGE Coalition’s policy paper, California’s Edge: Keeping California Competitive, Creating Opportunity, as well as a complete list of endorsers and information regarding how to join the coalition can be found at www.californiaedge.org
The Coalition has been enthusiastically received and has been endorsed by a growing number of groups including: the Community College League of California; the California Manufacturing and Technology Association; the California Budget Project; the California Federation of Labor – AFL/CIO; the California Workforce Association; the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce; the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California; and the Boeing Company and many others.
The Career Ladders Project has worked with the Coalition from the beginning; our Executive Director, Linda Collins, is a member of the Coalition’s Executive Committee.