CALA News & Views | Issue 52 | Workforce

COLLEGE OUTREACH

CALA’s commitment to fostering the next generation of senior living professionals continues to grow through dynamic college outreach initiatives. By engaging with students, faculty and career development programs across California, CALA is creating pathways for students to explore rewarding careers in senior living. From scholarship opportunities and classroom presentations to strategic partnerships and career fairs, these efforts ensure that students from a variety of academic backgrounds have the resources and guidance to pursue meaningful roles in senior living.

Fall Elevate Conference Scholarships The 2024 Fall Elevate Conference marked a milestone with a record number of scholarship recipients. We awarded scholarships to 30 students and welcomed two additional attendees at the student rate. Students represented 10 schools across the state, including 15 students from the University of Southern California.

Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium (IEDRC) The workforce team participates in regular meetings with the IEDRC, a collective of workforce education and training providers led by the community colleges in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. These providers have direct access to students and can provide senior living awareness and career pathway opportunities for them.

Hospitality Management Project The workforce team is connecting career pathway opportunities for students by collaborating with Cosumnes River College (CRC) on a hospitality management project for the Spring 2025 semester. The initiative includes three key components: ● a career exploration video featuring career pathway stories from three CALA member chefs, ● a field trip for CRC culinary students to a local member community, and ● a chef presentation in CRC’s state-of-the-art kitchen. CRC, part of the Los Rios Community College District, recently completed a multi-million-dollar project to upgrade its culinary facilities. CALA will also participate in a celebration ceremony scheduled for late 2025. A thorough assessment will be completed at the end of the 2025 spring semester to decide what changes need to be made to the program to enable replication with other hospitality and culinary programs throughout the state.

Engaging College Partners As part of CALA’s strategic plan, the workforce team shared a 2024 fall newsletter with our college network. The newsletter highlighted the scholarship program, expressed gratitude for their support, and included photos, conference feedback, workforce data and a reminder about the expert members available to share career insights in senior living. The current college partner list includes over 1,000 school contacts throughout California and is updated bi-annually. The team has dedicated time this year to increasing contacts in the areas of psychology, sociology and social work. The list traditionally has included nursing, healthcare, hospitality management, culinary arts, gerontology and business administration departments, as well as veteran and career center departments. After an additional newsletter was shared specifically with social science professors focusing on the benefits of a psychology degree in senior living, a psychology club from a school in Northern California reached out with a request for a speaker. A CALA member presented to the group in March 2025.

CALA NEWS & VIEWS I ISSUE 52 | MARCH 2025 20