Cal State LA to host “Building Bridges to STEM Careers” expo, highlighting innovative engineering degree apprenticeship pathway
WHAT:
Cal State LA will host “Building Bridges to STEM Careers,” a one-day STEM expo showcasing the STEM Core Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Pathway. This groundbreaking initiative aims to connect community college students to high-paying, high-impact STEM careers.
The event will feature hands-on activities, industry panels, and guided networking opportunities that spotlight new academic and professional pathways in civil and general engineering.
WHO:
The event is hosted by Cal State LA in partnership with Growth Sector and CalTrans. Participants include three Summer Bridge cohorts from the Los Angeles Community College District; students from Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, and Los Angeles Mission College; Cal State LA’s STEM Core engineering interns; and professionals from CalTrans.
Throughout the day, participants will engage in interactive sessions, hear from industry panels, and network with public agency and higher education partners as they explore promising futures of civil and general engineering through structured pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
WHEN:
Friday, August 1, 2025
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
WHERE:
Cal State LA, Engineering and Technology Building. The university is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino Freeway, at the interchange of the 10 and 710 Freeways. Media parking is available at Lot 4. Please see the campus map.
MORE:
Cal State LA’s STEM Core engineering interns are community college transfer students participating in the Summer Making, Academic Prep, and Research for Transfer Students (SMART) Internship Program, led by Professor Charles Liu in the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The program provides students with hands-on experience with research and technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and AR/VR.
Since its inception, SMART has supported 56 interns, with 18 more joining in summer 2025. It is part of Growth Sector’s STEM Core, supported by the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation, which focuses on helping underrepresented students succeed in STEM.
INFO:
Growth Sector is a nonprofit workforce intermediary that addresses a national need to better prepare disadvantaged community college students for economic success in a changing economy. The STEM Core offers community colleges a structured and supported pathway to transition students to degree and career pathways in engineering and computer science.
CONTACT:
Media are encouraged to attend. Opportunities will be available to interview students, faculty, and program representatives from Cal State LA, Growth Sector, and CalTrans. To RSVP, request interviews, or obtain press credentials, please contact: Kimberly Goodnight at [email protected], 323-687-3360, or Margie Low at [email protected], 323-229-6676.
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