SACRAMENTO. – The California Community Colleges has launched a Spanish-language version of its Career Education Web site.

The launch is part of an ongoing statewide campaign to reach all of the state’s prospective students and their parents and raise awareness of the more than 200 Career Education training programs available to them.

It is estimated that by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy will require some form of training beyond high school. Career Education (at both the high school and college level), which includes hands-on training and apprenticeships, is critical to both America’s workers and U.S. economic competitiveness. and helping California maintain its position as the newly ranked fifth largest economy in the world.

Last year the California Community Colleges launched the statewide Career Education campaign to close the growing gap in the state’s skilled workforce.

The campaign communicates to prospective and re-entry students (including high school students and adults who want to gain new skills), parents, counselors, educators and employers the many career training programs available to them.

The statewide campaign includes outreach to California’s diverse populations. The new Spanish-language website will help raise awareness in the Latino community with 38 percent of Californian’s being Spanish-language speakers and 29 percent using Spanish as their primary language at home.

A Spanish-language Career Education online toolkit will also be released soon with marketing materials that can be used by all California community college campuses and their partners.

“The California Community Colleges is a system of access and inclusion,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the first Latino chancellor of the largest higher education system in the nation. “We want all Californians to know that our Career Education programs are a smart, affordable way for Californians to acquire the hands-on, high-quality skills they need for good paying jobs. The Career Education website has plans to expand to other languages beyond English and Spanish to reflect California’s diverse student population.”

Serving 2.1 million students per year, California’s 114-campus community college system is the largest provider of workforce training in the nation.

Career Education programs are developed in partnership with local industries and taught by instructors with direct work experience.

The programs offer hands-on, real-world training in a wide range of career fields including advanced manufacturing, information and communication technologies/digital media, health, global trade and logistics, life sciences/biotech, agriculture, water/environment technologies and many more.

Many financial aid options exist for California community college students through the California Dream Act and other state and federal programs and are available year-round to cover the cost of fees, books, supplies and sometimes even help with the rent.

For more information about Career Education programs, visit the California Career Education English Web site or the California Career Education Spanish Web site.

For a comprehensive list of financial aid available to students applying for or enrolled in a California community college, visit the I Can Afford College English Web site or the I Can Afford College Spanish Web site.

The California Community Colleges, the largest provider of workforce training in the nation, offers Career Education programs at 114 community colleges across the state.

With more than 200 programs taught by instructors and professionals in their field of study, Career Education programs allow students to learn by exploring, collaborating and doing with hands-on training and skills for the jobs of today and the future.

To learn more, please visit www.CaliforniaCareerEducation.com. Visit www.doingwhamatters.cccco.edu or information on the system’s workforce initiative.