MiraCosta College and City of Oceanside Launch Initiative to Provide Local Residents with Skills Needed to Land In-Demand Jobs

​MiraCosta College and the City of Oceanside are teaming up on a new initiative allowing residents to enroll in tuition-free, MiraCosta Community Education & Workforce Development job-training programs for the skills and know-how needed for in-demand trades at Oceanside businesses. The Hire Local initiative was launched July 6 and classes begin with the new fall semester. MiraCosta College programs that are part of Hire Local are Biomedical Equipment Technology, Welding, Computer Numeric Control (CNC), Engineering Technician, Machinist Technology, Electronic Assembly Technician, and Phlebotomy.

Hire Local job-training programs were targeted after the City of Oceanside conducted a needs assessment among local businesses and discovered a set of high-demand jobs that have been hard to fill. The city is covering MiraCosta College’s administrative costs and student tuition is being covered by a MiraCosta College grant.

The City of Oceanside could not have found a more effective partner. More than 90 percent of those who have enrolled in MiraCosta College’s Community Education & Workforce Development job-training programs have graduated and between 80 and 95 percent of those who have graduated are hired in the field they studied.

Employers who are more interested in hiring people with job skills than college degrees say this program could not have come at a better time.

“With so many people out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic and with so many local businesses facing challenges in hiring skilled workers, the Hire Local program presents an unprecedented opportunity for Oceanside residents to get the training needed for in-demand jobs,” explains MiraCosta College Superintendent/President Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke. “MiraCosta College prides itself on its collaborative approach in working with government, business, and labor in doing what’s best for the community, and we are honored to partner with the City of Oceanside on the Hire Local initiative.”

Targeted programs can lead to solid middle-class careers. Phlebotomists are earning an average income of more than $47,000 annually in the region, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the profession is looking at a 23 percent increase in hiring during the 10-year period ending in 2028. Mechanical engineering technologists are earning an average annual wage of more than $55,000 locally, medical equipment repairers are earning more than $60,000 per year on average, and CNC operators are taking home an average wage of more than $61,000 annually in the region. In addition, the city will pay those who earn a certificate and are hired at an Oceanside company a bonus of $500 each.

All but the Welding program are being taught at the MiraCosta College Technology Career Institute in Carlsbad. Welding is being taught at the John Landes Recreation Center in Oceanside. The Technology Career Institute is part of the college’s Community Education & Workforce Development department and offers accelerated job training in the fields of advanced manufacturing, engineering, health care, security and more. It is among the many factors that MiraCosta College generates a total economic impact of more than $338 million annually to San Diego County’s Gross Regional Product.

Learn more about the Hire Local initiative at TCI.miracosta.edu or HireLocalOceanside.com.

About MiraCosta College

The MiraCosta Community College District has served the coastal North San Diego County area for over 80 years. More than 21,000 credit students per semester in over 70 disciplines enroll in associate degrees, university transfer and workforce readiness certificate programs. The college also serves a wide spectrum of educational needs in the region ranging from programs for adult education, basic skills, and ESL to a California Community College pilot program offering the nation’s first baccalaureate degree in biomanufacturing. MiraCosta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).