San Diego is selected by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program as one of three U.S. regions to participate in a learning lab focused on inclusive economic development. EDC works alongside the City of San Diego, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, and UC San Diego Extension to develop a deeper understanding of specific barriers to economic inclusion impacting populations across the region.

With the help of the Brookings Institution, EDC creates a narrative making the business case for inclusive growth. Amid significant technological and demographic changes, inclusion is a competitiveness issue: The educational attainment gap in Black and Latino populations will exacerbate company workforce shortages in STEM fields; the small businesses that employ most San Diegans are not able to compete to grow; and more than half of San Diegans can’t make ends meet.

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As the region’s innovation economy continues to grow, EDC incorporates lessons learned into its own strategic plan and publicly launches its Inclusive Growth Initiative. The plan is three-fold: 1) Diversify the regional talent pipeline,2) Equip small businesses to compete and, 3) Address the region’s affordability crisis.

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JPMorgan Chase announces San Diego as one of five cities to win a $3 million grant from the Advancing Cities Challenge. This grant will be used to fund a new program—Advancing San Diego—which will connect underrepresented San Diegans with high-demand jobs, while also providing small businesses access to diverse applicants.

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Advancing San Diego organizes its first employer-led collaborative. The collaborative is the first of six Employer Working Groups that were funded through the initial JPMorgan Chase grant, aimed at identifying the skills and competencies needed for entry-level software engineering positions across various industries. The findings of the working group led to the release of the first Software Engineering Talent Demand Report.

Changing skill requirements, a nationwide battle for talent, and a soaring cost of living are combining to form an unequivocal threat to regional competitiveness. If unaddressed, San Diego will no longer be an attractive place to live and do business. Endorsed by more than a dozen private sector employers, EDC announces three audacious goals to be accomplished by 2030 or the region’s economic strength may cease to exist: 1) 20,000 skilled workers per year by 2030, 2) 50,000 quality small business jobs by 2030, and 3) 75,000 newly thriving households by 2030.

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Educational programs around the region are invited to submit their curriculum to be vetted by employers for adequately training the skills and knowledge needed for entry-level software engineering openings. Through an employer-led process, EDC and Advancing San Diego announce the seven educational programs designated as the first Verified Programs of Software Talent, then called ‘Preferred Providers.’

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Thanks to JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Cities grant, and despite setbacks from the COVID-19 shut downs, 53 students from across all seven designated programs are able to participate in paid internship opportunities. Students are placed in a virtual 240-hour paid internship at 22 small companies. This and more, were accomplished in the first year of the program.

In three successful years, Advancing San Diego released six Talent Demand Reports focused on Software, Engineering, Business, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Life Sciences workforce needs. Through each industry cohort, Advancing San Diego afforded 167 students paid work-based learning opportunities at more than 68 small companies which received temporary staffing support at no cost.

With the help of Boston Consulting Group, EDC and its partners built on the momentum of Advancing San Diego and paved a sustainable path for the program to continue work towards the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals. The creation of the Advancing San Diego Steering Committee, comprised of executives from the private and public sectors, academia, and philanthropy, established structure for input on continuous improvement of a talent pipeline development strategy.

San Diego and Imperial Counties won a competitive $18 million in state funding to continue this talent work. Advancing San Diego, in partnership with the Border Region Inclusive Talent Pipeline Collaborative, built upon the work of existing talent initiatives efforts by expanding into K-12 education, new industries, and new partnerships.

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