2026-2027 Flex Day Theme

CSM's Career Development website, maintained by the Workforce Development team, supports students in discovering career opportunities, building skills, and connecting with the professional world.  Their team offers services designed to fit students' needs--whether they learn best through events, personalized guidance, hands-on experience, or curated resources.  Whatever their goals, they provide the experiences and support to help students move forward with confidence and take the next step from campus to career.  The site includes 

• Events & Workshops
• Appointments & Courses
• Jobs & Internships
• Resources

CSM Handshake is a gateway to career opportunities for CSM students/alumni. Whether you’re a student looking for internships, part-time, full-time, or on-campus jobs, or an employer searching for motivated, career-ready talent, this platform makes it easy to connect, post, and apply for positions. It connects students with a nationwide network of employers including major companies, nonprofits, startups, and small businesses, not just those in the local area. This platform is also widely used by universities and colleges across the country to support career readiness and strengthen employer engagement.

• Counseling Students on Career Pathways (California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office) Many students in the California Community Colleges are pursuing direct pathways to high-demand, high-wage employment aligned with local, regional, and statewide labor market demands. In this module, we review strategies for counseling students on career pathways. Topics reviewed include common backgrounds, motivations, needs, and goals; counseling strategies; and support resources that help students determine their interests while developing individualized pathways that support sustainable employment. Please note that this is the fifth and final module in the second part of the Equity-Centered Counseling Curriculum.
• New World of Work (California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office): This module explores the top 10 skills that help students succeed in the workplace in a rapidly changing 21st Century.  These skills are broken down for instructors to integrate in to the classroom by providing skill-specific lesson plans and supporting materials.

College of San Mateo’s Workforce Development division collaborates with campus partners, employers, and regional consortia to build high-quality Career Education (CE) programs that respond to labor market needs, advance workforce equity, and support student success. We oversee the implementation of the Strong Workforce Program (SWP) and Perkins V Title 1C, ensuring alignment with districtwide goals, statewide accountability metrics, and regional economic priorities.

• Counseling Students on Career Pathways (California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office  
  Many students in the California Community Colleges are pursuing direct pathways to high-demand, high-wage employment aligned with local, regional, and statewide labor market demands. In this module, we review strategies for counseling students on career pathways. Topics reviewed include common backgrounds, motivations, needs, and goals; counseling strategies; and support resources that help students determine their interests while developing individualized pathways that support sustainable employment. Please note that this is the fifth and final module in the second part of the Equity-Centered Counseling Curriculum.
• New World of Work (California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office) 
  This module explores the top 10 skills that help students succeed in the workplace in a rapidly changing 21st Century.  These skills are broken down for instructors to integrate in to the classroom by providing skill-specific lesson plans and supporting materials.

Here is a list of external resources, created in collaboration with the California Community College System: 

• The WestEd Center for Economic Mobility and NASH invite you to System Strategies for Improving Student Economic Mobility and Return on Investment, a four-part virtual professional development series exploring how systems and institutions can leverage data, redesign pathways and student supports, align institutional practices, and strengthen employer partnerships to improve student economic mobility.  Informed by lessons from the Designing for Economic Mobility Metrics Academies, the series brings practical strategies and examples from peer systems and institutions directly to your team.
  • October 8: Understanding and Improving Student Return on Investment
  • October 15: Student Pathways to Economic Mobility: Barriers, Opportunities, and System Strategies
  • October 22: Improving Student ROI is Everyone's Job: How Higher Education Roles and Functions Shape Student Economic Mobility
  • October 29: Employer Partnerships and Workforce Alignment: Building Stronger Connections to Economic Opportunity
• Degrees of Value Series (California Competes, April 28, 2025) 
  What would it take to ensure college pays off for everyone? Higher education remains a strong investment, but its economic return is not shared equally, leaving too many Californians struggling to translate their degrees into economic mobility and regional economies without the talent they need to thrive.  California Competes' Degrees of Value series, published in partnership with College Futures Foundation and Strada Education Foundation, explores how college return on investment (ROI) varies across regions and populations, increasing understanding of where the system supports learners and where structural barriers leave them behind.
• Listening to Learners: Insights on California Students' Career Preparation (California Competes, November 19, 2025) 
  What support are California college students receiving to transition into today’s workforce? Here’s what they have to say. In this webinar discussion (and Listening to Learners Infographic), Senior Researcher David Radwin dove into key findings and recommendations from California Competes’s new research on students and recent graduates’ experiences with career readiness, done in partnership with College Futures Foundation and Strada Education Foundation; and College Futures Foundation’s Chief Program and Strategy Officer Elizabeth González moderated a panel of leaders driving innovation in career readiness:
  • Jason Barquero, Dean of Workforce Readiness and Student Life, El Camino College
  • Kurt Madden, CEO, Career Nexus
  • Tiffany Miller, Dean of Academic Affairs, Apprenticeships, and Workforce Development, West Los Angeles College
  • Casshajnea Pierce, Student and Career Success Coach, West Los Angeles College

From the CA State Chancellor's Office UDL and Title II ADA Updates website: 

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice updated the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The updated regulations say that state and local government entities—including public colleges and universities—must make sure their websites, apps, and online learning materials are accessible for people with disabilities by conforming to a specific accessibility standard: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 at level AA. For more information, see the Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments, or read the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) facilitates equal access to education for all students who have disabilities (permanent or temporary) by providing academic adjustments, counseling, and support services under State and Federal law.

Additionally, the DRC serves as a resource for college staff to ensure an inclusive equitable environment for students.

• Introduction to Section 508 (California Community College Chancellor's Office): Section 508 sets standards and guidelines regarding access to materials and communications for individuals with disabilities.   This module will assist in a user’s understanding of what Section 508 is and how it impacts individuals and institutions, as well as determining where and when Section 508 applies.
• Accessible Instructional Materials (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In the selection or creation of instructional materials, using accessible design will ensure all audiences will be able to fully benefit from the information.  In this module, users will find out their role in the creation of accessible materials with regard to the types of assistive technology available to students.  Users can also explore the wide-ranging resources that the California Community Colleges possess to create and maintain accessible materials.
• AB 2821: Identifying & Mitigating Ableism (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In this module, we review ableism and its impact on disabled students in higher education. Topics include definitions of ableism and disableism; common biases and stereotypes about disability; recognizing ableist assumptions and behaviors; discrimination and harassment related to disability; strategies for mitigating ableism; and approaches for promoting inclusive and equitable campus environments for disabled students. 
• Intersection between Section 504 and Section 508 (California Community College Chancellor's Office): This module discusses what Section 504 and Section 508 are, and how they complement each other.  It also explains more about programs that serve students with disabilities. 
• Universal Design for Learning (California Community College Chancellor's Office):  Creating accessible materials will assist in reaching the broadest audience of learners possible.  In this module, users will explore the concept and benefits of universal design for learning.  Discovering more about universal design will explain how it relates to equity and disability in an inclusive environment.
• Accessible Technology (California Community College Chancellor's Office): Using accessible technology can be paramount to giving the most numerous individuals access to the materials and communications that are available to them.  This module will discuss what accessible technology is and the variety of ways it is used to reduce learning barriers in campus populations.  It will also discuss the institutional roles and what part DSPS plays in providing this access.
• Accessible Presentations (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In this module, we will explore what is necessary to develop and create presentations that support accessibility.

The following accessibility resources were created at CSM or in the District:

• Accessibility Basics with PopeTech (SMCCD Microcourse)
• Introduction to Assistive Technologies (SMCCD Microcourse)
• Universal Design Practices for Meetings: Facilitating Accessible and Equitable Meetings (CSM ECLO)

• Introduction to Section 508 (California Community College Chancellor's Office): Section 508 sets standards and guidelines regarding access to materials and communications for individuals with disabilities.   This module will assist in a user’s understanding of what Section 508 is and how it impacts individuals and institutions, as well as determining where and when Section 508 applies.
• Accessible Instructional Materials (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In the selection or creation of instructional materials, using accessible design will ensure all audiences will be able to fully benefit from the information.  In this module, users will find out their role in the creation of accessible materials with regard to the types of assistive technology available to students.  Users can also explore the wide-ranging resources that the California Community Colleges possess to create and maintain accessible materials.
• AB 2821: Identifying & Mitigating Ableism (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In this module, we review ableism and its impact on disabled students in higher education. Topics include definitions of ableism and disableism; common biases and stereotypes about disability; recognizing ableist assumptions and behaviors; discrimination and harassment related to disability; strategies for mitigating ableism; and approaches for promoting inclusive and equitable campus environments for disabled students. 
• Intersection between Section 504 and Section 508 (California Community College Chancellor's Office): This module discusses what Section 504 and Section 508 are, and how they complement each other.  It also explains more about programs that serve students with disabilities. 
• Universal Design for Learning (California Community College Chancellor's Office):  Creating accessible materials will assist in reaching the broadest audience of learners possible.  In this module, users will explore the concept and benefits of universal design for learning.  Discovering more about universal design will explain how it relates to equity and disability in an inclusive environment.
• Accessible Technology (California Community College Chancellor's Office): Using accessible technology can be paramount to giving the most numerous individuals access to the materials and communications that are available to them.  This module will discuss what accessible technology is and the variety of ways it is used to reduce learning barriers in campus populations.  It will also discuss the institutional roles and what part DSPS plays in providing this access.
• Accessible Presentations (California Community College Chancellor's Office): In this module, we will explore what is necessary to develop and create presentations that support accessibility.