Community colleges: job market study.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Garcia

AB 1446 requires CA community college districts to study job market before starting a vocational program, publish findings, and decide whether to run it in-district or via contract.

Read first time.

#communitycolleges #jobmarketstudy

Purpose and gist

AB 1446 would reaffirm and slightly tighten the existing requirement that a California community college district conduct a job market study before establishing a new vocational or occupational training program. The bill is characterized as making nonsubstantive changes to the current statute, meaning it does not alter policy intent but clarifies or reorganizes the existing framework.

Key provisions

Before establishing a vocational/occupational program, a district’s governing board must conduct a job market study focused on the labor market area where the program is proposed.

The study must use the State-Local Cooperative Labor Market Information Program (SL-CLMI) established in the Unemployment Insurance Code (Section 10533), or other available labor market information sources if SL-CLMI is not available in the area.

The study must include a California Occupational Information System supply analysis of existing vocational/educational programs for adults (from high schools, community colleges, and private postsecondary schools) in the area to ensure anticipated employment demand justifies the proposed program.

The district must make copies of the job market study available to the public.

After completing the study, the district must determine whether the study justifies establishing the proposed program.

If justified, the district must decide, by resolution, whether the program will be offered through the district’s own facilities or through a contract with an approved private postsecondary school under Section 8092.

Who is affected

Governing boards and administrators of California community college districts.

The communities served by those districts, including current and prospective students.

Private postsecondary schools that could be contracted to deliver programs under Section 8092.

Other local education providers (high schools, existing colleges) whose programs are included in the supply analysis.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Status: Read first time (introduced February 21, 2025).

Legislative actions indicate: Read first time on or around February 24, 2025; may be heard in committee around March 24.

No appropriation, no fiscal committee consideration, and no local program impact indicated in the digest.

The bill emphasizes transparency (public copies) and a structured decision-making process (justification determination, then resolution on delivery method).

Summary impact

AB 1446 reinforces a data-driven, transparent approach to launching vocational programs at California community colleges, ensuring demand justifies new offerings and clarifying whether programs are district-operated or contract-delivered. It modestly adjusts the process without altering substantive policy intent.

Bill