Research by the Public Policy Institute of California projects that the state will face a shortfall of 1.1 million college degrees by 2030, if recent economic and education trends continue.

The majority of California’s public school students are low-income and youth of color. Improving degree attainment for these students is essential for meeting the demand for college-educated workers. This report focuses on three regions in California with a high proportion of young residents, but lower than average college success rates: Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, and San Joaquin Valley. The authors show that raising college success rates in these three regions could close more than half of the statewide skills gap. College Futures Foundation provided a grant to support this research.

Data show that most students in California attend colleges close to home. Regional collaboration between K-12 and postsecondary schools is a promising path forward to ensure more students in each of these regions enroll in college and have the necessary support to succeed. The authors identify four recommendations to strengthen the education pipeline:

• Increase capacity at four-year universities, including developing satellite campuses
• Smooth the transfer pathway by aligning student success initiatives among community college and four-year universities in the same region
• Develop regional promise programs that incentivize enrollment in nearby four-year colleges and universities
• Support regional data-sharing systems to promote coordination and evaluation of regional programs

Read the full report a closer look at regional education pipelines and the steps regional and state education leaders can take to help close the skills gap for California students.

Download Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates: A Regional Perspective from PPIC

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