By Jasmine McGee and John Brauer

In this blog, we look at how colleges across California, in partnership with the United Domestic Workers and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, are collaborating to build clear, equitable pathways for adult learners across the state, demonstrating that meaningful impact is possible through shared vision, strategic partnerships, and data-informed design.

Across California, adult learners are rewriting their educational journeys, balancing work, family, and the pursuit of a better future. Through the United Domestic Workers (UDW) project, a California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) demonstration initiative, colleges across the state are partnering with UDW, the United Domestic Workers Resource Center (URC), and WestEd to strengthen education and career pathways for working adults. This collaborative effort connects higher education, workforce development, and labor partners to advance equity and economic mobility for California’s adult learners. Colleges are showing what is possible when innovation, equity, and collaboration come together, even when resources are limited. At the center of this effort are colleges that continue to deliver meaningful opportunities for adult learners despite funding challenges and competing priorities. Their work is a testament to creativity, persistence, and the power of partnership.

The Power of Partnership

California’s community colleges have long been champions for adult learners, but the challenge has always been scaling and sustainability. The UDW project, a CCCCO demonstration initiative, is powered through collaboration among the UDW, UDW/AFSCME Local 3930, URC, and college teams across the state. Together, these partners are demonstrating that meaningful impact doesn’t always require new resources. Sometimes it is about reimagining what is already there.

By aligning existing systems and relationships, colleges have been able to maximize their reach and strengthen support for adult learners who are members of the UDW union and similar worker communities. They are leveraging partnerships, data, and local insights to streamline pathways and better connect learners with training and employment. The URC champions case management and student support, ensuring that learners receive the guidance and wraparound services needed to persist and succeed. WestEd provides project management, technical assistance, and data and evaluation support, creating space for reflection, shared learning, and continuous improvement. This collaboration of partners has built collective capacity for impact across the state by making it possible for colleges to test, learn, and adapt in real time.

Centering Adult Learners Through the 3D Pathway Model

At the heart of the UDW project is the 3D Pathway Model, a framework designed by WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility that helps colleges design and strengthen programs for adult learners across three essential dimensions: people and their skills, programs and training, and jobs and required skills. These three dimensions intersect through a pathway that links learners, employers, and education in ways that are both scalable and accessible.

The model gives colleges a shared language to talk about their systems, identify gaps, and design solutions that reflect both learner and labor market realities. This is more than a framework; it is a way of approaching the work that keeps the adult learner experience at the center of every decision. This model has been particularly valuable for UDW partner colleges as they design learning opportunities for working adults. It helps them think about the full ecosystem surrounding each learner; their existing skills; their aspirations; and the kinds of programs that will create real, lasting change in their careers and communities.

Innovation Rooted in Context

One of the most inspiring aspects of the UDW project is the way colleges are innovating within their unique local contexts. At one college, existing partnerships with their workforce boards have been strengthened to create short-term credentials aligned with in-demand jobs. At another, cross-campus teams redesigned advising and support systems to better fit the schedules and realities of working adults. Others have taken a closer look at reentry processes, identifying learners who stopped out and reengaging them with clearer, more supportive pathways to completion.

These are not resource-heavy interventions. They are thoughtful, strategic adjustments that reflect a deep understanding of learners and local needs. The colleges are showing that innovation often starts with listening, collaboration, and the willingness to reimagine what already exists.

The Role of Statewide Collaboration

The impact of the UDW demonstration project extends beyond individual campuses. The CO has provided critical statewide leadership and alignment, ensuring that the work connects with broader priorities around equity and workforce readiness. The URC continues to anchor case management and student support, helping colleges strengthen holistic services for adult learners. WestEd serves as a technical and thought partner, fostering a learning community in which colleges can share insights, challenges, and successes.

This kind of collaboration allows limited resources to stretch further. By combining expertise across agencies and institutions, the UDW project has built an infrastructure for shared learning that supports colleges statewide. Each partner plays a unique role in ensuring that the work is both grounded in the lived experiences of adult learners and focused on long-term, systemic impact.

Looking Ahead: Building on Momentum

The lessons from the UDW demonstration project are clear: When colleges are empowered with the right frameworks, partnerships, and supports, they can achieve meaningful impact for adult learners, even within existing constraints. As the project continues to evolve, the focus is shifting from initial innovation to sustained implementation. The insights generated through this project are informing broader system strategies, from improving data-sharing infrastructure to expanding communities of practice. This work is building a roadmap for what is possible when higher education, workforce development, and research come together with a shared commitment to equity and access.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about the UDW project and hearing directly from colleges and partners about emerging lessons and impact, we invite you to express interest in attending the UDW Project Summit in June 2026. The event will bring together leaders from across California to share outcomes, insights, and next steps for supporting adult learners statewide.

For more information, please contact Jasmine McGee, [email protected], and John Brauer, [email protected], coleads of the UDW project at WestEd. For additional background and resources, visit the Center for Economic Mobility at WestEd or reach out directly to our team to explore ways to collaborate.

 

Jasmine McGee is a research associate at WestEd with more than 15 years of experience across nonprofit, public, and private sectors. She specializes in data-informed approaches, student-centered equity strategies, and K–16 education systems. Her work focuses on social justice and improvement of outcomes for historically underserved communities. McGee has served in significant roles at several organizations, including the East Oakland Youth Development Center, the College of Alameda, and American River College. She holds a BA in psychology and African American studies from the University of California, Davis, and an MA in counseling from St. Mary’s College of California.

John Brauer specializes in workforce development, focusing on apprenticeships, high-road training partnership creation, labor-management partnerships, WIOA systems alignment, workforce development best practices, green jobs, CTE, job quality, industry needs assessments, and sector partnerships. He works to strengthen connections among education systems, employers, and labor organizations. His background includes serving as Workforce Director at the California Labor Federation, leading the Oakland Army Base Workforce Development Collaborative, and working as an Alameda County Planner. Brauer spent 11 years as an appointee on California’s Workforce Development Board under Governors Brown and Newsom and has served on Oakland’s Workforce Development Board. He has a BA in political science from UC Berkeley and an MPA from California State East Bay.