Cal State East Bay Program Targets the Barriers Keeping Students Out of High-Wage STEM Careers

A college degree can open doors, but earning that diploma often means juggling work, caregiving, financial pressure, and long commutes - leaving little time, money, and energy for internships and nurturing professional networks.

A new initiative at Cal State East Bay in The College of Science aims to change that by bringing career preparation, research experience and employer connections into the classroom.

"This is not adding extra to students' already busy lives, and it closes equity gaps by providing these research experiences to more students," said Carmen Bustos-Works, dean of the College of Science. "Students can take their classroom experiences and translate them into workforce skills as they develop resumes and participate in interviews. They will also come back and give us direct feedback on how well prepared they felt in their first positions."

The Undergraduate Program for Workforce Advancement and Research Development, known as UPWARD - connecting coursework to careers in high-demand fields including biotechnology, healthcare, data science, environmental sustainability, engineering and computer science.  This 3-million-dollar project is funded by a Strengthening Institutions Program award from the US Department of Education/Labor.

Professional identity begins in the classroom. Faculty will incorporate employer-informed projects and research assignments into courses while peer-trained learning assistants provide academic guidance and mentorship. Students will connect with employers through apprenticeships, internships, real-world projects, and career mentoring.

"The grant is designed to address a disconnect between students' experience in coursework and workforce needs," said Senior Associate Dean Danika LeDuc. "By bringing together faculty and employers, we can intentionally design curriculum and educational experiences for students that better prepare them for graduate work and careers, as well as giving them confidence in that preparation."  

UPWARD aims to redesign 10 courses serving 300 students per semester by its second year and 40 courses serving up to 1,200 students per semester by its fifth year.

By bringing these opportunities into the curriculum, Cal State East Bay and the College of Science are helping students build a direct pathway from the classroom to the workforce.