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Mount Diablo board highlights career pathways and invites families to November trades night
Summary
District staff described growth in the career education fair—now serving 1,000+ students with CTE grant bus funding—and invited families to a Nov. 5 trades parent night at Concord High featuring nine unions, a reception for elected officials and a dinner for attendees.
District leaders told the Mount Diablo Unified School District board on Oct. 15 that the career education program and recent high‑school fair have expanded rapidly and will be the focus of a parent‑oriented trades night on Nov. 5.
Heather Fontanella, director of college and career readiness, said the district used Career Technical Education (CTE) incentive grant funds to bus students from across the district to a recent career fair that grew from about 30 students and 28 partners to more than 1,000 students and nearly 50 industry partners. She said the fair aligns with the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals to broaden college and career readiness opportunities.
Sheila Bergam, who organized the fair in Concord, described the event’s evolution from a small evening program to a large daytime fair that drew students from each high school. Dylan Woodhall, a College Park High alumnus and second‑year apprentice with Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 342, told trustees the MC3 program at Diablo Valley College (DVC) and apprenticeship options “changed my life” and encouraged students and parents to attend the Nov. 5 trades parent night.
Mike Marcus of the Torlakson Whole Child Institute described partnerships that bring middle‑school students to union training centers and said about 575 people had preregistered for the Nov. 5 event with three weeks to go. Fontanella said the Nov. 5 program will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Concord High School (main parking lot and multiuse room); elected officials and board members are invited to a 5 p.m. reception in the college & career center, and dinner will be provided to attendees.
Trustees praised the fair and encouraged expanding outreach into middle and even sixth grade so students and parents learn about non‑college career pathways earlier. Board members and staff said they are using the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to begin career exploration as early as sixth grade.
