Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board President Tomi Van de Brooke and College Trustees from across the nation are in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with federal officials regarding the critical role community colleges play in workforce training.
Van de Brooke met today with Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, and Congressmembers John Garamendi, Jerry McNerny, George Miller, and Mike Thompson to stress the importance of community colleges in the preparation of tomorrow's workforce. The District colleges include Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, and the centers in San Ramon and Brentwood
“We are here to meet with our federal officials about how we can work together to meet the national goal of producing 50 percent more students with certificates and degrees by 2020,” commented Van de Brooke. “We must work together at every level of government and in conjunction with the private sector to ensure future workforce training needs are met. The Contra Costa Community College District is one of the largest in the state, providing more than 3,400 classes to approximately 40,000 students each semester. The demand for career technical education and retraining is increasing and funding is decreasing. We must make effective use of every dollar if we are to meet the demand for tomorrow's highly educated workforce.”
California’s community colleges serve over 1.7 million students and remain the least costly system in the nation. During Van de Brooke's tenure, the Contra Costa Community College District has instituted more transparent and prudent budget practices and developed stronger performance measures to ensure greater student success. She credits the faculty and staff for their great strides in improving productivity and educating more students in this critical time of reduced funding.
Van de Brooke currently serves as President and Ward II Trustee on the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board. She is a candidate for Contra Costa County Supervisor in District 2.
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