The San Diego College of Continuing Education announced it is being awarded more than $2.7 million to expand a program providing academic support and career training for transition-age foster youth.
The funds will be directed to the SDCCE’s Gateway to College and Career Program, which offers paid internships, connections to industry, assistance in securing a high school diploma or equivalency, and college and career readiness courses.
“Transition-age foster youth are the San Diego College of Continuing Education’s most vulnerable students, and these funds will be vital in us reaching our goal of supporting this population with multiple services that will lead to a stable future and economic mobility,” said SDCCE President Dr. Tina M. King.
Gateway to College and Career is receiving a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Labor Community Project Funding at the recommendation of Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego). The SDCCE’s Gateway to College and Career is modeled after a national Gateway to College network. Additionally, the SDCCE has also been notified that a collaborative grant of $1.75 million to connect the San Diego-based nonprofit Promises2Kids’ Guardian Scholars program with Gateway to College and Career will be received this spring.
According to Promises2Kids, there are more than 1,500 young adults who were in the foster care system living in San Diego County. National data shows high unemployment rates among transition-age foster youth, and approximately one-third of former foster youth are or have been homeless after exiting foster care.
The Gateway to College and Career is based at the SDCCE’s Educational Cultural Complex in the heart of the southeastern area of San Diego.
“Sponsored by the San Diego Continuing Education Foundation, we envision empowered young adults able to imagine their possibilities for achieving self-sufficiency and engaging in actions that create emotional, social, and financial sustainability and well-being,” reads the Gateway to College and Career vision statement.
