History of College to Career

College to Career (C2C) was founded in 2010 through collaboration between the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and the UCLA Tarjan Center. Five pilot programs were funded by California’s Department of Rehabilitation in response to consumer choice and changes in public policy for greater access to postsecondary education. DOR felt compelled to respond to data gathered nationwide indicating a postsecondary education experience for students with ID significantly increased their likelihood of a successful employment outcome and an opportunity to earn higher wages.

DOR, working with the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office, requested colleges to submit concept papers to the Department indicting how they would develop pre-vocational and vocational training through the provision of on-campus, inclusive instruction and other related support services for students with intellectual disabilities (ID).

With the announcement of the funding opportunity and request for concept papers, DOR stated they were prepared to fund 4 to 5 pilot programs at CA Community Colleges and funding per program may be up to $250,000 per year for three years. An overwhelming response was received from CA Community Colleges and the following five colleges were funded during the fall of 2010: College of Alameda, Sacramento City College, San Diego County Community College District, Santa Rosa Jr. College, and North Orange County Community College District. Three additional programs (Fresno City College, Shasta College, and West Los Angeles College) were funded by DOR, in 2015.