February 12, 2025

Meeting Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Members Present

Anita Muthyala-Kandula, Ashley Egbert, Bill Roeder, Bob Singh, Brett Johnson, Britt Rubio, Chia Wen, Dave Capitolo, Debbie Lee, Deborah Taylor, Elvin Ramos, Farideh Dada, Hua-Fu Liu, Katrina Tran, Kristin Skager, Li Wei Sun, Manisha Karia, Marco Marquez, Mark Hamer, Mark Sherby, Mary Pape, Maureen Miramontes, Max Gilleland, Mike Appio, Milena Grozeva, Omar Torres, Randy Bryant, Sabrina Stewart, Sam Bliss, Sheryl Bernardo, Tiffany Rodriguez-Tran, Trisha Tran, Vins Chacko

CTE Steering Committee Meeting convened at 12:30pm by Randy Bryant. 

CTE Dean Updates – Randy Bryant

Introductions – Randy and participants introduced themselves. Randy introduced Brittany Rubio as the new Senior Administrative Assistant and shared that Katrina Tran has been promoted to the role of Internship Coordinator/Job Developer.

There is a need to spend allocation as deadlines are quickly approaching – June 30th, 2025. Narratives for the Perkins Grant report should be submitted to Vins as soon as possible when requested to create NOVA projects. Departments can find available funds by looking at the newly updated CTE SharePoint. Additionally, everyone with industry connections is encouraged to share them with Randy to facilitate public partnerships and broader community engagement.

The CTE team should be invited to CTE Advisory Committee meetings to ensure proper documentation. President Torres also requesting to extend the invitation to him. Additionally, two CTE faculty representatives are needed for the Senate, which qualifies for a Professional Growth Award, supporting the goal of CTE representation across campus committees (Curriculum and Academic Senate) to enhance CTE awareness and collaboration. Sam Bliss highlighted the need to fill seats on the Curriculum Advisory Team to streamline the non-credit curriculum review process, aiming for completion by Winter 2026. However, increased faculty participation could expedite the timeline, potentially achieving completion by Fall 2025.

Strengthening Community Colleges Grant – The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $65 million in grants to 15 colleges nationwide to support workforce training in high-demand industries. Our college received one of the awards ($5.5 million) as part of BACCC consortium led by Teresa Ong to represent the FHDA district, including partners Evergreen, Mission and Ohlone colleges. This collaboration enables cross-college course offerings, expanding degree access across the region.

CTE Counselor Updates – Trisha Tran 

Trisha Tran encouraged faculty to inform her of any course changes so she may relay updates on program modifications or course sequences to students. Her appointment slots open every two weeks, and she advised students to check at midnight for new availability. If students continue to have difficulty scheduling, they may email her directly for assistance.

Career Success Workshops – A series of Career Success Workshops will be hosted from March to May to help students prepare for the workforce and the upcoming Career Fair. A flyer with details will be distributed soon. 

CTE Classroom Support – Randy emphasized that the CTE counselor or other members are available to visit classrooms to engage with students directly. The team is committed to providing support and resources to help students succeed in their career pathways.

CTE Internship Updates – Katrina Tran 

JFF Grant Proposal – Jobs for the Future (JFF) has applied for a $200k grant, which would provide funding for up to 3 years. This grant aims to support workforce development initiatives and expand opportunities for students in career and technical education (CTE) programs, particularly for Black, Latino, and women job seekers.

Employer List for Career Fair – Please respond to Katrina’s email request for employers/ recruiters for the Career Fair using your industry contacts. The deadline is February 18. Randy reiterated to use Handshake to vet employers. The employer’s list attending the career fair will be published soon after we gather all the information.

Career Success Workshops – Katrina built upon Trisha's updates on the Career Sucess Workshops. The Career Fair Planning Committee proposed a series of workshops to help students prepare for the Career Fair, covering resume building, LinkedIn, and networking strategies. The location is yet to be confirmed but will likely be in the Villages. Special recognition was given to Sheryl Bernardo for hosting the Career Glow Up Workshop, which received positive feedback and strong support in the Zoom chat.

Rising Scholars Grant – Randy provided updates on the grant, and Sam Bliss noted that the grant has been extended for an additional year. The team is also applying for a three-year extension to fund the hiring of a counselor.

President Torres joined the meeting at 1:00 PM and expressed appreciation for everyone's hard work. He reaffirmed that CTE remains a priority for the institution and emphasized his commitment to supporting the ongoing work we all are already doing.

Dual Enrollment & Noncredit Program Updates – Tiffany Rodriguez-Tran 

Outreach – District-wide outreach tabling events are ongoing, with general CTE marketing materials and non-credit flyers available for distribution. Additional high school outreach opportunities are welcomed, and those with connections should reach out to Tiffany. President Torres emphasized the importance of early engagement, suggesting outreach should begin in middle school to encourage dual enrollment interest by high school. He is holding quarterly meetings with K-12 district superintendents to explore opportunities. Senate Bill 1244 now allows for Dual Enrollment outside service areas if local options are insufficient.

Dual Enrollment – Tiffany noted that last year’s MOU allows high school teachers to teach courses, expanding dual enrollment partnerships. Journalism program expanding to Fremont Union High School, with recognition given to Farideh Dada. 

Non-Credit – The goal is to offer non-credit certificates for each CTE program while minimizing the timeline from development to implementation. A guide on launching non-credit courses is being drafted and will be shared on the non-credit webpage once completed.

Budget Updates – Vins Chacko 

CTE Department SharePoint – The DA CTE Departments SharePoint was introduced as a work in progress. Attendees were encouraged to provide feedback or report any access issues. This platform allows departments to view detailed information about their Strong Workforce and Perkins fund details. Additionally, Randy reminded participants to include all items that need to be purchased through the grants on the resource requests through the division dean.  The approved resource allocation lists can be accessed through share point.

Perkins Budget – Vins shared the expense details and where faculty can access the current available funds for the 2024-2025 - Perkins budget on the CTE SharePoint.

SWP 8 Balance – The committee discussed various allocations, expenditures and timelines under the Strong Workforce grant. Randy provided context on the timeline, noting that each round typically takes about two years, but due to approval delays, the timeline for action is much shorter.

SWP 9 Budget Projection – Vins presented and requested for the SWP 9 budget allocation.  Mike Appio first and Chia Wen seconded the motion. Motion was approved unanimously. Vins reported that the Strong Workforce Local 9 fund was reduced due to state reallocation of funds for rebuilding the nursing program, though the college mitigated this impact by transferring nursing salary support to the general fund, maintaining overall allocations. President Torres further explained that nursing funding was reduced because the State Chancellor’s Office redirected funds as part of an initiative to support nursing programs across the state. This coordinated effort with state agencies impacted multiple districts, not just our local program.

CTE Department Updates – Brittany Rubio 

Brittany shared key dates: the Career Fair on Wednesday May 7, 2025 from 9-2pm and the next CTE committee meeting on Wednesday May 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM. Attendees were advised to save these dates and expect MS Outlook invites closer to the event dates. Brittany asked for help to update the CTE Listserv, if there they identify any changes, to contact her.

President Omar Torres 

President Torres expressed appreciation for the faculty, staff, and administrators supporting career technical education programs. He acknowledged the challenges and responsibilities they face, such as managing Perkins and Strong Workforce programs, ensuring industry regulations and polices are met, and maintaining relationships with community and business partners. President Torres highlighted the complexity of their work and praised the efforts of both front-line faculty and behind-the-scenes staff for their dedication to students and the college community.

CTE Committee Meeting adjourned at 1:30PM by Randy Bryant. Minutes taken by Brittany Rubio.