Cerritos College News Release

Photo of Jose Anaya (right),Roger Timmons, Aerospace Dynamics International (center) and Peter Bellas, Director, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, College of the Canyons (left) Norwalk, Calif. – May 6, 2008 – Cerritos College announced today that its Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) received the highly coveted Exemplary Innovation Award in recognition of its role in preparing at-risk youth for careers in manufacturing during the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development annual conference Thursday, April 24.

Exemplary Innovation Award was established to recognize excellence in project development as it relates to market responsiveness and innovation. The award recognizes highly innovative and unique projects unlike any other that are responsive to a specific and critical need within the business community and can be replicated at other sites around the state.

Cerritos College CACT, in conjunction with the College of the Canyons CACT, created “FastTracks Manufacturing Boot Camp Program” that prepares at-risk youth for high paying, upwardly laddered careers in manufacturing. Industry partners El Proyecto del Barrio and Aerospace Dynamics International, Inc. further enhance the program.

The program is offered at the College of the Canyons and has graduated more than 80 students of which 92% have been placed in career field employment. After watching its success, other industries are discussing the possibility of using this same technique to help get entry level candidates into their fields.

Since its inception, the Cerritos College CACT has received many awards, with the 2008 Exemplary Innovation Award being the latest.

“It is a great honor to receive such a prestigious award,” said Jose Anaya, CACT Director at Cerritos College. “The success of the Cerritos College/College of the Canyons CACT partnership has proven that coalition between community colleges, local businesses and industry leaders can help bring young people into manufacturing careers.”

For more information about the Cerritos College CACT program, please call Jose Anaya at (562) 860-2451 ext. 2510 or visit the Cerritos College CACT website at www.cerritostrainsu.com.

The Cerritos College CACT is part of an initiative of Economic and Workforce Development by the California Community College Economic Development Network. The CACT program was instituted as an overall purpose of advancing California's economic growth and global competitiveness through quality education and services focusing on continuous workforce and business development, and technology deployment. CACT was developed to bring the resources of California's 109 Community Colleges together to service California's businesses and industries.

Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 200 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently nears 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at www.cerritos.edu.

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Cerritos College

Releases 2008