For the last several months, the Oceanside Chamber has been working as part of an extensive collaboration to launch a new workforce development project for the region. Student Opportunities for Career Awareness and Learning or SOCAL is a partnership between the Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Vista Chambers, the San Diego North Economic Development Council(SDNEDC), local educational institutions, and industry and business leaders. SOCAL’s purpose is to elevate career education for students and career-seeking individuals.
Originally conceptualized and developed by Tri-City Medical Center and supported by a generous grant through San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s office, SOCAL is a public-private partnership designed to bring career awareness to local students.
In phase one of the SOCAL project, the Chambers and SDNEDC are recruiting companies to participate in a video project that spotlights different occupations at their firms. The goals are to expose students or those in career transition to occupations they might not otherwise have thought about and to provide information about educational programs or other “next steps” they should further research.
The Chamber’s first video shoot took place in late September with Hydranautics, a membrane manufacturer and one of Oceanside’s largest employers. The company highlighted three different team members, providing a perspective of the day-to-day responsibilities and educational requirements associated with their respective positions.
The videos will be housed on a new website that is being developed by Intesa Communications and is expected to launch this December. The Career Technical Education teams from the Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Vista Unified school districts plan to use the videos as a classroom tool to assist students in exploring career opportunities that align with their skills and interests.
