Thursday, March 28, 2024
The RP Group

Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative Bridge Program (BAWFC) Evaluation

Timeline
2012-2017


Overview

The RP Group is conducting a multiphase evaluation on the Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative’s (BAWFC) investment in community college career technical education (CTE) bridge programs.

Phase 1 (2012 – 2015):

Over two years, BAWFC grantees implemented models that engaged participant cohorts in a semester of contextualized basic skills and technical coursework, and integrated student support and career exploration. Completion of the bridge semester prepared participants to pursue additional training leading to a community college credential, and ultimately employment in the related CTE pathway. Grantees included:

  • Cabrillo College: Accelerated Medical Assisting Program
  • City College of San Francisco: Bridge to Biosciences
  • Laney College: Industrial Maintenance Training Program
  • Skyline College: Allied Health Career Advancement Academy

The RP Group’s comprehensive evaluation of these initiatives revealed insights related to (1) student outcomes and impact, (2) program design and implementation, and (3) future evaluation.

Phase 2 – 3 (2015 – 2017):

The BAWFC has continued to support the development and expansion of community college bridge programs, funding four new grantees including:

  • Cañada College: Information and Communication Technology Bridge Program
  • Laney College: Jump Start to Bio-Manufacturing Bridge Program
  • Merritt College: Bridge to Healthcare Careers
  • Skyline College: Domestic Warehousing and Logistics Career Advancement Academy

The BAWFC’s current investment is particularly focused on developing collaborations between community colleges, community-based organizations, and employers to deliver these programs. Our evaluation is continuing to assess the effectiveness of bridge programs as a strategy to successfully ready underprepared students for entry into and completion of CTE pathway programs leading to a certificate or degree, with special attention to the role community-based partners play in supporting student success.

RP Group Lead

Rachel Antrobus

Team

Peter Bahr, PhD, Kathy Booth, Dr. Darla Cooper, Breanna Eddy, Craig Hayward, PhD, Kelley Karandjeff, EdM, Elaine Kuo, Alyssa Nguyen, MA, Rogéair Purnell, Elisa Rassen, Eva Schiorring, Lisa Wang, Terrence Willett, MS

Funders

Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative (an initiative of The San Francisco Foundation)

Partners

Career Ladders Project

Reports and Briefs

CTE Bridge Programs: Advancing the Success of Students with Educational and Employment Barriers

Research brief providing insights from a multiyear evaluation of four Bay Area community college bridge programs.

News and Events 

Check back soon for news and events information.

Actions

Details

  • Focus Populations: CTE students, Basic skills students, Developmental education students
  • Status: Complete
  • Contact: Rachel Antrobus, Project Director, rantrobus@rpgroup.org

Areas of Impact

Tags

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