PROTOCOL FOR LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY
REGIONAL PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL PROCESS
FOR CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS OF 18 UNITS OR MORE
AND ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

PROCEDURE FOR NEW PROGRAM or NEW OPTION PROPOSALS:

STEP ONE: ANNOUNCEMENT OF INTENT: (Recommended but not mandatory.)

It is recommended that the announcement occur on the agenda at any meeting prior to the meeting at which recommendation for approval will be sought. The announcement should include name of program, contact person, college, telephone number and email address. The announcement should be sent electronically by the Dean of Occupational Education or designee via e-mail to the Regional Consortium Office. The Consortium Secretary will then forward the announcement electronically to the LOWDL group. LOWDL members are encouraged to forward these Announcements of Intent to appropriate faculty and managers on their campus to invite discussion and input. This process is meant to encourage collaboration and avoid destructive competition.

STEP TWO: PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL OF NEW PROGRAM:

A. At least two weeks prior to the meeting at which approval will be sought, an electronic copy of the Application for Approval – New Occupational Program or Request to Add New Option or Certificate within Existing Program will be submitted (excluding course outlines) to the Regional Consortium Office. The Consortium Secretary will distribute the Application to LOWDL members. Only the items listed below must be included in the package distributed to Los Angeles/Orange County Workforce Development Leaders (LOWDL). It is the responsibility of each LOWDL member to notify all stakeholders on their campus regarding the proposed new program.

The items on the New Program Application to be included are:

Under Mission:

1. Statement of Program Goals and Objectives
2. Catalog Program Description
4. Background and Rationale

Under Need:

7. Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area
8. Labor Market Information (“LMI” Data)
9. Job Market Analysis: It is the responsibility of the proposing college to provide evidence of employment opportunities for program completers. For a new program this must include Advisory Council minutes with attendees who are professionals in the field and their industry affiliations noted. These individuals who endorse this new program must be in a position to hire completers from this new program with this job title.
10. Employer Survey

Under Quality:

15. Display of Proposed Sequence of Course Titles and Units

Under Compliance:

24. Licensing or Accreditation Standards

The items on the New Option or Certificate within Existing Program to be included are:

1. Statement of goals and objectives for existing program, including new option.
2. Catalog description for existing program, including new option.
3. Option requirements (list of required courses)
4. Discussion of place of option in the curriculum – relation to existing program and options; relation to other programs.
6. Discussion of labor market need: It is the responsibility of the proposing college to provide evidence of employment opportunities for program completers. For a New Option, applications should include data such as job availability and employer survey to demonstrate this need. Incorporating the minutes from an Advisory Council meeting supporting this addition is also recommended.
9. Discussion of background and rationale
10. Discussion of impact on other colleges in region

B. Recommendation for program approval will be placed on the LOWDL agenda and a representative from the program must be present for discussion to occur (presentation limited to five minutes).

C. Discussion to be limited to the following areas of Application for Approval - New Occupational Program:

1. Program fulfills the requirements of employers in the occupation specified, all of the courses required in the program are either necessary or viewed as advantageous by prospective employers in that occupation, and jobs will be available for program completers. In the event that labor market data (LMI) does not identify a specific job title, job program, or option being submitted, an employer survey must be included to document the labor market need for the geographic area.
2. Collaboration is encouraged, and destructive competition is avoided.

D. Recommendation for approval of new programs and options will be placed on a consent agenda. Each college will bring to the meeting a completed Program Approval Checklist.

One YES or NO vote will be cast by each college in attendance at the meeting. Colleges wishing to abstain shall not cast a ballot. A program will be approved if it receives a majority of the votes cast.

F. Minutes of the meeting will include a summary of the discussion as well as the number of YES and NO votes.

NOTE: Recommendation for approval of program of less than 18 units is at the local level only and does not need to be presented to the LOWDL group. Announcement for “Information Only” will be at the discretion of each college.