San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) is expanding services to opportunity youth in San Diego through the new San Diego Gateway to College and Career program at SDCE.
Opportunity youth are sometimes referred to as "disconnected youth" and are defined as people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working. These men and women represent a social and economic opportunity to communities because many are eager to complete education and obtain employment. According to data* available in the San Diego Youth Development Office, there are over 53,000 opportunity youth living in San Diego County.
“SDCE is already serving this population of students,” said Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D., and President of SDCE. “Many are enrolled in our High School and Adult Basic Education programs, but they need additional services to be successful beyond the classroom, and that’s where the Gateway model makes sense.”
Gateway to College is a national network that supports communities in building sustainable pathways for disconnected youth. The Gateway model began at Portland Community College and is now successfully implemented in more than 40+ community college settings throughout the nation. The San Diego Gateway to College and Career at SDCE is the first model in San Diego and intends to serve hundreds of students in its first year of implementation, with that number growing to thousands within three years.
Beyond education in the classrooms, the new San Diego Gateway to College and Career program is allowing SDCE to expand services to include coaches in a case management structure to provide more individualized attention and mentoring; customized job search, paid internships, and community service opportunities.
“Offering paid internships is one of the most significant new initiatives we can offer our students,” said Star Rivera-Lacey, Ph.D., Vice President of Student Services at SDCE.
Faculty who support San Diego Gateway to College and Career students have received specialized training to help them understand the new program and how to best serve this population of students using the Gateway model. A new resource center opened at the Educational Cultural Complex in January and has already served dozens of students.