Pleasant Hill, Calif. - More than 400 Contra Costa County high school students learned about manufacturing careers and toured nine East Bay companies and three community colleges during Manufacturing Day on October 24, 2023. Sponsored by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) College and Career Readiness Program and Earn & Learn, Manufacturing Day offered students an inside look at career pathways with competitive wages that do not require a college degree.
CCCOE’s partner, Earn & Learn, is an organization that helps support and manage work-based learning activities in the Bay Area. Working with them allows CCCOE to reach more local manufacturing companies and coordinate with more high schools, which means hundreds of students receive exposure to manufacturing jobs and possible future opportunities.
The nine companies represented included Bishop Wisecarver, Central Contra Costa Sanitation District, Contra Costa Transportation Authority GoMentum Station (automated vehicle testing), Contra Costa Water District, Lennar Homes, Martinez Refining Company, Ramar Foods, Rivendell Woodworks, and LiUNA NorCal Training Center. Each company's workforce requires a specific skill set or training, which is categorized as trade careers. Many of the local companies provide on-the-job training or a vocational school requirement that allows new employees to hit the ground running in less than two years.
During the tours and talks, students also learned manufacturing jobs are in demand in California, and it is predicted that by 2030, many manufacturers will be unable to fill all their job openings. Through Manufacturing Day, Contra Costa County Office of Education and Earn & Learn were able to show teachers and students various career opportunities available now and what is to come. Besides seeing and learning about manufacturing companies, students also had lunch and toured Los Medanos College, Diablo Valley College, or Contra Costa College.
More information about CCCOE’s College and Career Readiness Program can be found on
CCCOE’s website.
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National Manufacturing Day
National Manufacturing Day addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t. Manufacturing Month CA empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.
About Contra Costa County Office of Education
One of 58 counties in California, Contra Costa County (CCCOE) has the 11th largest public-school student population in the state (approximately 169,225 students). Officially established in 1932, CCCOE has a long history of providing direct services to some of our county's most vulnerable students, including young people who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care, as well as students who have severe physical or emotional challenges.
CCCOE also provides support services to schools and school districts in Contra Costa County; services that can be handled most effectively and economically on a regional basis rather than by each of the county's 286 schools or
18 school districts. These services range from budget approval and fiscal support to technology infrastructure, communication support, and high-level professional development opportunities for educators. CCCOE maintains a website at
www.cocoschools.org.