Celebrating the San Diego & Imperial COE's Momentum from January to June 2026! | | The San Diego & Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) celebrates meaningful achievements, convenings, and partnerships in the first half of 2026, and below is a look back at the milestones that drove progress. | | 📊 RESEARCH & COLLABORATION | | |
Inaugural 2026 Research Summit Brings the Region Together
On January 16, regional leaders from government, workforce development, and higher education gathered at San Diego Miramar College for the Inaugural Research Summit, a half-day event focused on how research and data are shaping solutions to some of the region's biggest challenges—from rising housing costs and workforce gaps to behavioral health staffing shortages and rapid technological change.
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COE Launches Research Hub to Sustain Year-Round Collaboration
Building on the momentum of the Research Summit, the San Diego & Imperial COE officially launched the San Diego & Imperial Research Hub, a new online platform designed to keep the San Diego & Imperial Research Council connected throughout the year. With the Hub now live, the Research Council will continue convening to brainstorm new ideas, discuss collaboration opportunities, and share ongoing research efforts across the region.
| 📚 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | |
Strong Workforce Counselor Institute
Funded by the San Diego & Imperial Regional Consortium, the COE wrapped up the second cohort of the Strong Workforce Counselor Institute. More than 100 counseling faculty from across the region gathered to celebrate the completion of this professional development program. Since October 2025, college teams met monthly to review student support services data, reflect on counseling practices, and develop action plans to better serve students and close equity gaps.
Since 2020, over 730 faculty, researchers, deans, and counselors have participated in the Faculty Institute and Counselor Institute, demonstrating the region's strong commitment to data-informed practices that improve student success.
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496
Faculty Institute Completers
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237
Counselor Institute Completers
| | | In follow-up surveys, 95% of participants reported that they would be "very likely or likely" to attend another event hosted by the San Diego & Imperial COE. | | |
San Diego Workforce Partnership’s EMS-Fire Pilot Pathways Initiative Grant
In partnership with UC San Diego Center for Research and Evaluation, the San Diego & Imperial COE received a $168,132 grant to support emergency medical services (EMS) and fire career pathways. This work will evaluate labor market data, demographics, employment gaps, and training programs to support equity, entry, and retention in EMS and fire careers. Read the announcement from the Workforce Development Board here.
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Economic and Workforce Development Applied Research Award
The San Diego & Imperial COE received the Economic and Workforce Development Applied Research Award from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), recognizing the team's contributions to applied labor market research that informs regional community, economic, and workforce development initiatives.
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LEAD San Diego Visionary Award
The San Diego & Imperial COE is proud to share that Executive Director Tina Ngo Bartel was selected as the recipient of LEAD San Diego's Ronald Kendrick Memorial Award for Regional Collaboration. This prestigious Visionary Award recognizes leaders who demonstrate a commitment to creating meaningful change across the region. Through her work at the COE, Tina helped advance partnerships among education, workforce, industry, and community organizations.
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📈 REPORTS & PRESENTATIONS
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Comprehensive Regional
Needs Assessment
The COE published the Comprehensive Regional Needs Assessment (CRNA) and Perkins V Indicators Dashboard to support the region’s community colleges with their Perkins V applications. The CRNA summarizes regional needs using findings from student surveys and community forums conducted across the region in 2024 and 2025. The COE presented the findings at the Workforce Development Council (WDC) meeting in March 2026.
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Expanding Apprenticeships in
San Diego County
The COE partnered with the San Diego County Office of Education on a new report, Expanding Apprenticeships in San Diego County. This report highlights high-opportunity occupations for apprenticeship expansion, with a focus on occupations with high AI resilience and a retiring workforce. The COE presented alongside a panel of industry leaders implementing apprenticeship programs at the WDC meeting in May 2026.
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Sneak Peek of the
Green Economy Report
In April, the COE presented a preview of an upcoming report on the green economy, sharing early findings on the region’s current landscape of green and potentially green community college programs. The report will examine how existing programs already support green-sector workforce needs, while also identifying opportunities to adapt and expand existing programs and curriculum. View the presentation slides for an early look at the upcoming report.
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Training for the Regional Program Recommendation Process
In May, the COE led an in-depth training on the region's program recommendation process. The session provided an overview of labor market information, outlined the steps involved in the program recommendation process, highlighted key resources, and explained how to interpret findings in labor market briefs. View the presentation slides to explore the training content and related resources.
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Thank you to everyone across the region who contributed to these milestones.
We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum through the rest of 2026!
| | ABOUT THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE | | The San Diego & Imperial COE supports the San Diego & Imperial Community Colleges with data-informed program development and strategic planning. The COE is funded in part by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office through the Economic and Workforce Development Program and Strong Workforce Program. | | |
Tina Ngo Bartel
Executive Director
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Robert Chu
Regional Programs Manager
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John Edwards
Research Analyst
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Tasi Rodriguez
Regional Professional Development Manager
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