Career pathways

A substantial grant to help K-12 students stay in school and work toward high-skill careers was recently awarded to Butte College and a consortium of regional school districts, business partners and workforce agencies.

The California Department of Education awarded the $5.8 million grant to the Butte-Glenn Career Pathways Consortium, of which Butte College is the fiscal agent, according to a press release. Butte College President Kimberly Perry said that, for the next five years, the grant will annually benefit 2,500 students in 17 secondary schools in Butte and Glenn counties.

The Career Pathways Trust, championed by State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, established a one-time $250 million grant program in the state’s 2013-14 budget intended to create “sustained career pathways programs that connect businesses, K-12 schools, and community colleges to better prepare students for the 21st century workplace,” according to the release.