Photo Courtesy of Office of Asm. Heather Hadwick. 

REDDING, CA (MPG) – Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas) today joined state officials, community leaders, educators and workforce advocates to celebrate the unveiling of a transformative career education initiative, the Master Plan for Career Education. The new plan will prioritize hands-on learning, workforce readiness and regional collaboration to ensure students and workers in rural communities have access to stable, well-paying jobs. 

The new career education framework will connect high school students, college students, and adult learners with local employers through paid apprenticeships, internships, and training programs. It emphasizes pathways to careers in fields critical to rural economies, including education, health care, and renewable energy.  

After the conference, Hadwick commended local leaders for their role in this initiative: 

“It was a nice surprise to be invited to the roundtable discussion with Governor Newsom and local leaders in education and career pathways. I took this opportunity to talk about the continued challenges we have in our rural schools in the North State. No matter what side of the table we sit on, I think that we can all agree that we need to invest in our youth and our future workforce.  There is so much more work to be done and I hope that the Governor and his team leave with a better understanding of what disadvantaged rural communities face.” 

Although this initiative aligns with statewide career education goals, Assemblywoman Hadwick emphasized the importance of tailoring programs to local needs. The plan includes measures to reduce red tape, increase funding flexibility, and ensure that rural areas receive their fair share of resources.  

For rural communities throughout California, this initiative represents an important step toward closing the opportunity gap and ensuring economic opportunity for generations to come.  

Video of Asm. Hadwick speaking at the event is available here.

Assemblymember Hadwick represents the 1st Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes portions of El Dorado and Placer counties, along with Alpine, Amador, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, and Siskiyou counties.