OneFuture Coachella Valley

In 2005, a survey of employers in Riverside County, California, found that 80 percent of hires for high-level positions were recruited from outside the area. To address this community challenge, OneFuture Coachella Valley works with regional K–12 school districts, local colleges, nonprofits, city government, and businesses to address low-educational attainment and career readiness and to build a strong local workforce that can meet the needs of the regional economy.

The partnership develops local solutions to provide support at critical stages for key student populations facing the greatest barriers, including low-income students, migrant students, and Black and African American students who historically lag behind national and state standards in college enrollment, persistence, and completion. The partnership has yielded significant results, contributing to an 18 percent increase in local college enrollment since 2010. Additionally, 36 percent of high school students in the region now participate in one of 65 job training programs and $17 million in scholarships have gone to nearly 3,000 students from low-income communities.