Merritt Rising Scholars
Merritt College Rising Scholars supports justice-impacted students through a coordinated model connecting education, workforce readiness, student support, and community reintegration.
Workforce Innovation Labs provides project management and implementation support to strengthen program governance, student services, partnerships, data systems, outreach, and long-term sustainability. Phase 2 builds on the foundation established in 2025 and supports Merritt College in moving the program from development toward institutionalization.
Merritt Rising Scholars
Client
Purpose
To integrate the Healthy School Food Program (HSFP) into California Community Colleges by building pathways in culinary and nutrition that prepare students for careers in healthy school food systems while aligning with workforce and apprenticeship opportunities.
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Establish a faculty coalition across 8–10 community colleges to guide program integration.
Pilot Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) and work-experience frameworks for culinary/nutrition students.
Align community college courses with Chef Ann Foundation pre-apprenticeship curriculum.
Develop a pre-apprentice Boot Camp model to prepare candidates for HSFP entry.
Create statewide awareness through convenings, webinars, and toolkits.
Measure outcomes and produce a playbook for scalability
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Community college students pursuing Culinary Arts, Nutrition, or related programs.
Faculty and administrators engaged in career pathway development.
Future pre-apprentices and apprentices entering California’s school food workforce.
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Workforce Innovation Labs (WIL – facilitator and project manager)
Chef Ann Foundation (program originator)
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO)
Selected California Community Colleges (8–10 pilot sites)
Faculty champions, students, and work experience departments
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Sixteen faculty coalition meetings advancing HSFP integration.
A statewide CPL pilot model for culinary and nutrition programs.
A course-substitution framework aligned with pre-apprenticeship curriculum.
A regional work-experience hub model linking credits to apprenticeships.
A pre-apprentice Boot Camp curriculum.
Regional convenings and awareness campaigns.
Marketing toolkits for faculty outreach.
A final Playbook and Impact Report for scaling.
Key Components
Faculty Coalition & Capacity Building
A statewide coalition of faculty guides program adoption through workshops and collaboration, building lasting capacity aligned with workforce needs.
Pre-Apprenticeship & Career Pathway Alignment
Boot camps, course frameworks, and work-experience hubs create clear entry points into healthy school food careers with credit, skills, and hands-on training.
Impact & Scalability Tools
A final playbook and impact report will capture best practices, outcomes, and templates for recruitment, curriculum, and marketing. These tools ensure the program can scale statewide and drive long-term sustainability.
Why This Matters
Access to healthy, sustainable school meals depends on a skilled workforce prepared to lead in nutrition and culinary services. This program creates equitable pathways for students to enter high-demand food careers, strengthens faculty and institutional capacity, and ensures California schools have the talent they need to deliver nutritious meals that support student success and community well-being.
