Strong communities are built on strong partnerships. Across the West Hills Community College District, Coalinga College and Lemoore College are working closely with employers, school districts, healthcare providers, agricultural leaders, and workforce organizations to ensure students graduate with the skills needed for high-demand careers. While each college serves a distinct region with unique workforce needs, both share a common mission: creating educational pathways that lead directly to employment, economic mobility, and community prosperity.

For decades, community colleges have partnered with employers. Today, those partnerships have evolved beyond advisory roles and into active collaborations that shape curriculum, create apprenticeships, provide work-based learning experiences, and connect students directly to jobs.

"At West Hills, our responsibility extends beyond providing an education," said Chancellor Dr. Robert Pimentel. "We are preparing students for meaningful careers while helping our communities build the workforce needed for future growth. Our industry partnerships ensure students gain relevant skills, employers have access to trained talent, and our region remains economically strong."

Across the district, employers serve on advisory committees, help shape curriculum, provide internships and apprenticeships, and often hire graduates directly from district programs.

The result is an educational model built around workforce needs and student success.

Coalinga College: Meeting Regional Workforce Demands

In Coalinga, partnerships are helping address critical workforce shortages in healthcare, agriculture, transportation, public safety, and skilled trades.

One of the college's longest-standing partnerships is with Coalinga State Hospital, a relationship that led to the creation of the Psychiatric Technician Program 25 years ago. Today, the partnership continues to evolve as the college develops new apprenticeship opportunities designed to help students earn while they learn.

Additional healthcare partnerships include Coalinga Regional Medical Center, River Vista Behavioral Health, and Porterville Developmental Center, all of which help provide clinical experiences and employment pathways for students pursuing healthcare careers.

"We're creating pathways where students can earn credentials, gain experience, and move directly into careers that provide family-sustaining wages," said Bobbi Mahfood, Dean of Educational Services at Coalinga College.

The college's Certified Nursing Assistant program, offered in both Coalinga and Firebaugh, demonstrates that approach. Students gain workforce-ready skills while benefiting from partnerships that often lead directly to employment opportunities after certification.

Beyond healthcare, Coalinga College works closely with agricultural employers, local school districts, law enforcement agencies, trucking companies, and industry leaders connected to the Farm of the Future.

Those partnerships help ensure students are learning the technologies and practices currently being used throughout the region's economy.

“Industry partners help us stay relevant," Mahfood said. "They tell us what skills are needed, what equipment students should be learning on, and what workforce demands are emerging. That information helps us prepare students for real careers, not just the classroom.

Lemoore College: Expanding Pathways Through Apprenticeships

At Lemoore College, workforce development has increasingly focused on creating multiple entry points into careers through apprenticeships, industry-sponsored training, and partnerships that reduce barriers to employment.

"We have multiple doors into a student's future," said Dr. Kris Costa, Vice President of Educational Services at Lemoore College. "Students can come through traditional credit programs, noncredit programs, workforce training, or apprenticeships. Our goal is to make education accessible in whatever way works best for them."

Among the college's most innovative efforts is its growing apprenticeship network.

Partnerships with American Ambulance, for example, sponsors Emergency Medical Technicians to become paramedics, allowing EMT apprentices to earn and learn simultaneously, with no class fees.

Similarly, apprenticeship partnerships have been built for community health workers, chefs, IT technicians, automation specialists, business services, and educators.

One of the most ambitious initiatives involves a partnership with the California Afterschool Network, ProYouth, local school districts, and Fresno State.

Students can begin working as instructional aides while still in high school, continue earning college credit through Lemoore College, complete an associate degree, and ultimately transition into bachelor's and teaching credential programs, all with waived tuition.

"We're building pathways that allow students to work, earn an education, and advance professionally without leaving their communities or their employer," Costa said. "It's a win-win for employers – they get to keep their best employees and build up their team with talent"

Lemoore College is also partnering with Rockwell Automation to launch the Academy of Advanced Manufacturing (AAM) as a Western Region training center for industrial automation and instrumentation. The partnership provides advanced training opportunities for current employees in manufacturing and helps employers upskill their workforce in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the regional economy.