Better integrating vocational coursework into Inland Empire educational programs was a focus Thursday in a conversation between community leaders and the lieutenant governor.

John Garamendi, the state's highest ranking Democrat, spent Thursday morning at Cal State San Bernardino discussing the region's education needs and what role the university could play in meeting them.

The visit was the third stop on a "listening tour" Garamendi began in February with the goal of hitting every California State University campus over the next couple of years. The plan is to hear concerns about education from stakeholders in communities surrounding each CSU school.

In San Bernardino, business owners, labor leaders and school officials took part in the talk with Garamendi.

"I'd like to see our kids be able to stay here all their lives if they want to," said Michael Gallo, president and CEO of San Bernardino- based Kelly Space & Technology, on why a quality education matters locally. Students should not have to leave the area to hone job skills, he said.

Career education has been hot in Sacramento, with the governor and state superintendent pushing for more vocational training. Two studies the state schools' chief released last week show career classes boost students' academic performance.

Leslie Rodden, who oversees an alliance that connects community and education leaders in a quest to improve education in San Bernardino County, said vocational programs in area schools are largely piecemeal.

Students might have career days where they learn about occupations, or an occasional elective that provides job training. But no comprehensive system of career-oriented education exists, Rodden said, which means students are less likely to have marketable skills when they leave high school.

Speakers added that college-level training programs in fields such as nursing and technology are vital to catalyzing the inland economy's growth. That's where Cal State San Bernardino fits in, said Garamendi, who serves on the CSU's board of trustees.

"They're really doing a good job in educating the kids in the area and integrating their education system into the workforce needs of the region," he said. "I was impressed by what they're doing, (though) there is much, much more that must be done."

Garamendi said to ensure California and the Inland Empire have competitive economies, legislators and the governor must support diverting more resources to higher education. Cuts to CSU and University of California budgets in recent years have hurt the institutions' quality, he said.

He added that the state needs to give schools more flexibility to be creative in educating students.

by Charlotte Hsu, San Bernardino Sun, 3/23/07