The Career Spark Award recognizes top career centers in three categories – student engagement, employer engagement, and reporting and analytics. The SDCCD was recognized in the employer engagement category for setting the standard in collaborating with business, industry and its four colleges to benefit students across the district.
Handshake bills itself as the largest, most diverse early talent network in the nation, connecting 75% of all U.S. college students through their school’s career center with more than 950,000 employers actively recruiting on the platform. Out of more than 1,500 schools using Handshake, SDCCD was just one of 35 institutions recognized this year.
"The San Diego Community College District and San Diego City, Mesa, Miramar and Continuing Education colleges continue to innovate when it comes to career training, job skills, and providing essential career services to help our students get jobs. This award celebrates our four college’s efforts in engaging with local business, industry and labor to provide pathways to careers,” said Amertah Perman, the district’s Dean of Career Education and Workforce Development, who held out special praise for the colleges’ Work-Based Learning, Job Placement, Job Developers, and Employer Relations Liaisons – all funded through regional and local Strong Workforce Program grant investments. “These essential career services roles are leading the charge in employer engagement. We couldn’t have earned this award without faculty leaders, like Shawn Fawcett of Mesa College’s Work-Based Learning and Internship Team, who led the initial implementation of Handshake across our four colleges and work daily to connect students with hands-on work experience."
The SDCCD is an economic power, generating $5.8 billion in added income to the county economy during the 2024 fiscal year.