California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office > Programs to watch

Culinary arts programs cook up student success

Guy Fieri got his practical cooking chops at Sacramento’s American River College and Eureka’s College of the Redwoods before moving on to graduate with a degree in hospitality management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Without community colleges and the low-cost access to kitchen and restaurant knowledge, who knows if Fieri would have made it big in the culinary arts. One thing is for certain, though, The Food Network star is quick to credit his community college education.

Firefighter academies help rescue state’s economy

Heather Placek knew where she wanted to go in life and how to get there – onboard a firetruck. Placek is taking advantage of the training provided at American River College’s firefighter academy in Rancho Cordova, about a 15-minute fire engine ride – without sirens – east of Sacramento. The 25-year-old single mother has one class left this fall – fire protection systems – before she earns her associate degree in Fire Technology. Once she gets her paramedic training and certification, she’s off to a promising career as a firefighter.

Orgainc farming at College of Marin's Indian Valley campus.

The Business of Organic Farming

The seeds have been planted. The plan is budding and the hopes are that the organic farming apprenticeship program agreement between the College of Marin and Fresh Run Farm in the fertile northern Bay Area town of Bolinas will bloom and grow throughout the state.

The apprenticeship program includes 1,800 hours of paid training at Fresh Run Farm and the 5.8-acre farm at the College of Marin’s Indian Valley campus. Apprentices also will take 11 courses in farming-related instruction provided by the College of Marin. The goal is for student apprentices to complete the program in two years or less and they receive a certificate of achievement from the college.

Green Technology

As California’s green economy continues to grow, so too must the workforce Genencor’s culture empowers its employees to reach out to the community to share their love for and mission in the life sciences. Driven by recognition that schools and colleges need to provide “real-world” experience to students, Genencor provides an internship program for Bay Area high school and college students. This program was expanded in 2010 to include the Ohlone College. Genencor provided internship opportunities to seven students and provided them with more than 150 hours of work experience. Impressed with the quality of the first seven trainees, Genencor has pledged to expand the program to other community colleges.

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