Unlocking Potential: How California’s Coachella Valley Is Integrating Education Into An Economic Strategy for the 21st Century

When the Great Recession hit in 2008, the business, civic and education leaders of California’s Coachella Valley knew they needed a plan to take control over their economic destiny.

So they came together, did their homework and created one. Devised under the auspices of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, or CVEP, the Economic Blueprint lays out a series of strategies to create a true twenty-frst century economy: one with diverse industries that spur economic growth, and boasts a labor force that meets the needs of employers and raises incomes for families throughout the region.

Today, much of the work to shape the blueprint into reality is grounded in tried and true economic development practices, like those seen in cities and regions in California and across the country.

What distinguishes the work from more typical economic development programs is this: at the heart of this bottom-line economic development entity is one of the most ambitious education and career preparation endeavors in California.