Fresnovation
Driving economic diversity and building a new-collar workforce
The City of Fresno is known to the rest of the state and the country as the epicenter for agriculture. While we’re proud to still feed the country, that’s not our whole story or the extent of our ambitions. The City of Fresno has built one of the best Career and Technical Education (CTE) ecosystems in the country and our young people are getting ready for a growing number of jobs in advanced manufacturing, logistics, food processing, green tech & medical device manufacturing.
The annual “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit celebrates the San Joaquin Valley’s $15 billion manufacturing industry.
California’s first community college, Fresno City College, was founded in 1910 and now enrolls more than 24,000 students.
Made in Fresno
Future-Proofing Our Workforce
Fresno’s location and workforce are well-suited to support agricultural technologies and services. But we are also home to major brands in supply chain management, food innovation and processing facilities, water technology, and other precision manufacturers.
Other markets include medical device design and manufacturing and green industries such as solar, biofuels, recycling, and other forms of alternative energy.
While other parts of California have significantly lagged the rest of the nation in manufacturing, the City of Fresno is growing its manufacturing base thanks to the low cost of living, land affordability, and, of course, Fresno’s central location and easy access to transportation corridors that connect our city to any location in the state within a day.
Fresno has also aggressively invested in Career and Technical Education, building one of the broadest and strongest education and training ecosystems in the state.
Fresno State
Fresno State distinguishes itself as #4 in graduation-rate performance compared to all national universities on the US News & World Report Best Colleges list. It offers the following schools and programs:
- Craig School of Business
- Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
- Kremen School of Education and Human Development
- Lyles College of Engineering
- Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Fresno Pacific University
In addition to its Biblical Seminary, the school also hosts the Center for Community Transformation, whose mission is to develop community leaders and foster social enterprise programs to battle poverty and unemployment.
Learn More About Fresno Pacific University
Fresno City College
FCC is currently building a satellite campus to serve as a new home to the Career and Technology Center including the Automotive Technology and Automotive Collision Programs.
Learn More About Fresno City College
Clovis Community College
The college has recently added a certificate in Mechatronics/Industrial Automation that prepares students for entry-level employment in the design, operation, and maintenance of industrial automation systems. The lab-centric program focuses on providing a workforce for local industries including food production, petroleum production, fabrication, and logistics.
Learn More About Clovis Community College
Reedley College
The school offers certifications in Forestry, Mechanized Agriculture, Aviation Maintenance, and a complete Flight Science pilot training program.
Learn More About Reedley College
Career Technical Education Charter (CTEC)
At CTEC, education, and industry work cooperatively to develop Fresno County’s future leaders in commercial construction and manufacturing. The high school offers dual enrollment for grades 9-12 with Fresno City College. Its Innovation Center welcomed 162 students enrolled in its first year (2019).
Learn More About Career Technical Education Charter (CTEC)
The Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART)
The 75,000-square-foot CART campus provides an environment for 11th and 12-grade students to focus on project-based learning to better prepare for higher academics and the workplace. Organized around four clusters – Professional Sciences, Engineering, Advanced Communications, and Global Economics – CART combines rigorous academics with technical, design, process, entrepreneurial, and critical thinking skills.
Learn More About The Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART)
Duncan Polytechnical
A magnet school for grades 9-12 that attracts students from throughout the Fresno Unified School District, Duncan Poly is a four-year career technical education magnet school organized around five career pathways: Agriculture, Health, Public Service, Business, and Industrial Technology. Duncan is considered a model school for career technical education. The school graduated 206 students in 2019; 1,108 enrolled in the 2020 school year.
Learn More About Duncan Polytechnical
Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB)
FRWDB offers an Upskill Training Program, which provides funding to support employers interested in implementing a training program for their current employees to increase skill sets and improve productivity.
Learn More About the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB)
Geekwise Academy
Learn More About the Geekwise Academy
Teaches people to code and focuses on building on-ramps for those traditionally left out of the technology industry. Geekwise is growing a community of developers with job-ready skills built on an important foundation of collaboration and support. The program has trained 4,500 students to date.
New Employment Opportunities Program (NEO)
Develops hiring strategies for Welfare-to-Work clients assistance as well as subsidizing wages for the first six months of employment.
Learn More About the New Employment Opportunities Program (NEO)
Phillip J Patiño School of Entrepreneurship
As an applied entrepreneurship high school for grades 10-12, this school provides young entrepreneurs with integrated project-based learning that fosters real-world skills — critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. By the time students graduate, they have developed, pitched, and launched their own companies. The school enrolled 226 students in the 2020 school year.
Learn More About the Phillip J Patiño School of Entrepreneurship
Ready2Hire Truck Driver Training
Students are prepared for the DMV Class “A” Commercial Driver’s License exam with double trailers, tanker endorsements, manual transmission & air brake certification.
Learn More About the Ready2Hire Truck Driver Training
Valley Apprentice Connections
Operated by the Economic Opportunities Commission, the Valley Apprenticeship Connections offers a 12-week training program to potential construction employees.
Fresnovation Showcase
