San Diego Community College District

The San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees approved the acceptance of two grants totaling $350,000 for San Diego Miramar College at its November 8 board meeting.  

Miramar College is receiving a renewal of a $200,000 Deputy Sector Navigator grant, which will allow the college to fund Advanced Transportation & Logistics Deputy Sector Navigator Jonathon Kropp, who has been an economic and workforce development professional in the San Diego region for nearly a decade.

Kropp will continue in this role, which is part of the California Community Colleges’ Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy framework.

Under the guidance of the State Chancellor’s Office Statewide Sector Navigator for Advanced Transportation and Logistics, and in concert with the regional goals developed through San Diego Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA), Kropp will coordinate and collaborate regionally to develop effective sector partnerships and aligned training programs with employers, regional consortium, community colleges, high schools, Regional Occupational Programs (ROPs), San Diego Workforce Partnership, and other regional organizations.

This work will ensure a skilled workforce in support of San Diego’s regional economy in the Advanced Transportation and Logistics sector and establish career pathways for the local community into high-wage jobs in this sector.

Kropp will support and improve regional workforce training within the Advanced Transportation and Logistics sector to improve and align contract education, credit, and non-credit training for entry-level and incumbent workers.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to support workforce development by serving as an in-region contact for this sector and an intermediary between industry and education,” said Kropp.

Additionally, Miramar College received a $150,000 grant to fund the college’s hiring of a job placement coordinator to maintain and improve the college’s post-graduation employment outcomes.

According to data recently released by the State Chancellor’s Office, Miramar College currently ranks second in the state for the number of students earning a living wage after graduation, and fifth in the state, for the number of students employed within six months of graduating.

The job placement coordinator will be used to develop, implement, and administer job placement for students and lead both direct case management and program management, with the aim of expanding and improving job placement outcomes for students.

Benjamin Gamboa, associate dean of Strong Workforce for the College said, “San Diego Miramar College is making every effort to maintain its leadership as a workforce training powerhouse in the region and the state, because every successful student in San Diego deserves a fulfilling, high-wage career.”