After A Few Bumps On His Road, Ruben Found Our Industry A Natural Fit Repairing, Maintaining And Expanding Opportunities.

Like many others, Ruben Ramirez started out with some obstacles in his adulthood. After dropping our of high school in the 10th grade to support his child, Ruben had some run-ins with the law as he struggled to make ends meet. Ruben got his GED a few years later, but was faced with time in prison. After his release in 2010 he completed a certificate at a private trade school but he still had trouble finding work that paid enough.

Ruben enrolled in Barstow College’s Maintenance and Electrical Degree programs and graduated with a dual degree in only one year. To do so, he received some help through the full-time TAACCT-funded training program. Ruben participated in the Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society at Barstow College and received the Diligence Award and Edison Scholarship during his time there. He is now working as a Maintenance Technician at CalPortland Cement. He plans to continue his education and get a degree in business with the goal of starting his own company one day.

More On TAACCCT-Funded Programs

Through TAACCCT, community colleges have developed or redesigned nearly 2,600 Programs of Study to help adults learn skills that lead to familysupporting jobs. Each college or consortium of colleges developed programs of study aligned with local and regional business needs, which were identi ed through partnerships formed or strengthened with grant funds. To help adult students obtain industry-recognized credentials more quickly, colleges are using TAACCCT funding to innovate with strategies such as career pathways, credit for prior learning, competency-based models, online training, and strong student support systems.