In a city where radiant sunshine and pristine beaches first come to mind, San Diego’s concentration of opportunities in life sciences, tech, and the creative economy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are steering the city’s economic growth more than ever before.
Yet historically and systematically excluded learners are not being prepared to access the career opportunities that are advancing the region’s prosperity. According to San Diego’s 2030 Inclusive Growth Framework, 65 percent of low-income jobs in San Diego are “predominantly held by people of color.” In the technology, biotech, and cleantech sectors, Hispanic and Latino communities are currently underrepresented, despite the projection that they will constitute nearly half of San Diego County’s future workforce. Moreover, talent scarcity has become a new normal in San Diego—and yet, “investing in Latino and Black student success would reverse the talent shortage trend and create a talent surplus.”
“If the broader San Diego community, including schools, community organizations, workforce, and higher education institutions unite to co-design solutions and invest in local learners, we will eliminate the talent shortage.”
Together, we will strengthen bridges between systems and improve learning experiences, enabling more than 100,000 historically and systematically excluded learners to pursue STEM careers.
Digital Promise has worked with San Diego school districts for over a decade through the League of Innovative Schools, a national network of more than 150 school districts that connects and supports the most forward-thinking education leaders. Members in San Diego include South Bay Union School District, Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District, San Diego County Office Of Education, Poway Unified School District, and Vista Unified School District. Through partnership with these districts, we were introduced to local education and STEM champions and collaboratively developed the San Diego STEM Pathways effort.
This new initiative kicked off in September 2023 with a convening that brought together a group of partners across sectors to build a shared understanding of the opportunity to strengthen STEM career pathways in the region. Since then, we have conducted partner site visits, identified community assets and resources, and expanded our partnerships. Through this work, we have identified opportunities for programming across the Pre-K-workforce continuum. Emerging themes include:
This effort, rooted in local community-based partnerships, aims to ensure that starting in early childhood and continuing through the lifelong learning journey, learners across the region can engage in learning experiences inside and outside of school that build towards their long-term aspirations.
A robust coalition of local and regional partners will help ensure alignment with the local economy, community context, and values. Our local partners represent K-12 districts, out-of-school learning providers, community colleges and four-year postsecondary institutions, workforce, and industry partners.
This regional model has the potential to be replicated nationally—adapting to each community’s unique opportunities, strengths, and needs—to expand and improve pathways to STEM fields across the country.
To stay updated with our progress and discover how you can contribute to this transformative initiative, visit our webpage and sign up for our newsletter.
