Education Partnerships Power Long Beach’s Economy
In Long Beach, education has always been more than a personal milestone; it’s a shared investment in the city’s future. Every new degree, every skill earned, and every dream realized contributes to the collective strength of the community. When residents can pursue flexible, affordable pathways to higher education, the ripple effects are felt across neighborhoods, workplaces, and generations.
Yet too often, those pathways have been out of reach for students striving to balance their ambitions with the realities of daily life. Tuition costs, family responsibilities, and rigid schedules can make earning a degree feel like a distant dream rather than an attainable goal.
This month, Long Beach City College (LBCC) and Western Governors University (WGU) took an important step toward changing that. Through the $50,000 Grow Long Beach Grant, administered by LBCC, local learners transferring to WGU will receive up to $3,000 in support toward bachelor’s programs in healthcare, education, business, and technology. WGU’s accredited, competency-based model lets students move quickly through material they’ve already mastered and focus on what’s new at their own pace, making it easier to balance work, family, and school.
WGU and LBCC teams meet on campus to highlight the importance of accessible education pathways.
Leaders from both institutions recently came together at LBCC’s campus to celebrate this shared vision: one where education is not a privilege, but a promise, to create pathways that reflect the realities of modern life and expand access to those who have long been underserved.
This collaboration speaks to a larger challenge and opportunity in Long Beach. In a city where 27% of the population has some college but no degree, and only 37% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, closing the attainment gap is critical to unlocking the full potential of our workforce and economy.
WGU and LBCC celebrate a $50,000 grant to expand access to education and workforce opportunities.
As the 44th most populous city in America and home to the nation’s second-largest port and Space Beach, one of the fastest-growing aerospace clusters in the country, Long Beach and its residents are positioned for tremendous economic and workforce growth. However, harnessing that potential depends on whether more residents can gain the education and skills needed to fill the jobs powering these demanding industries.
Partnerships like these don’t just help individual students; they strengthen our workforce, neighborhoods, and the city's resilience. By supporting degree completion, Long Beach is investing in a pipeline of skilled, homegrown professionals ready to contribute to high-growth sectors like health care, technology, logistics, and even aerospace.
When local institutions work together to make learning accessible and relevant, the entire community rises. Through collaborations like this, Long Beach is not only expanding opportunity, it’s building a stronger, but more inclusive economy, also powered by the talent, determination, and innovation of its own people.
To learn more about this grant, visit https://www.lbcc.edu.
