Investing in our future

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our Nation,” John F. Kennedy, 1961.

The Cradle to Career approach that the County of San Bernardino developed with other community leaders is a collective impact methodology that begins with a strong developmental foundation for our young children and follows them through their educational years to give them the best opportunity for a college education while giving them the skills for a career beyond their degree.

I have been a strong supporter of the Cradle to Career initiative since its inception and am proud to announce that because of the strong partnerships we have and the community’s involvement, the Countywide Vision Cradle to Career program has even greater opportunities for our students. Generation Go! is San Bernardino County’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth program. The Workforce Development Board is partnering with the K-12 and the community college system to provide work-based learning for students in career pathways. Students will co-enroll in a community college work experience class while completing an internship after they take a non-credit work readiness class that teaches the soft skills they need.

This allows students to graduate high school with some work experience and college credit, and in some cases, with industry recognized credentials. It is my pleasure to announce that 14 students from Cajon High School and 12 students from San Andreas and Sierra High School completed internships at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and were placed with positions with private employers.

Another 280 students from the San Bernardino and Colton school districts completed the work readiness class over the past few months. These students will be placed in internships that will be completed during the spring semester.

As John F. Kennedy believed, education is the key to a stronger future for our communities, our businesses and our nation.

Written by James Ramos, San Bernardino County Supervisor, Third District.