Case Study
UC San Diego Extended Studies and ITJ partner following WTCSD program
ServiceStrategic Partnerships
June 2023
ITJ helps San Diego-based tech and life sciences companies expand software development operations nearby in Tijuana.
The UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies serves the critical lifelong learning and skill development needs of individuals, organizations, and the community through its continuing education, certificate, and degree-related programs.
REGIONAL CHALLENGE
Binational relationships existed amongst individuals within the San Diego-Tijuana region, often based on research and grant funding. However, there was a relative scarcity of reciprocal regional partnerships between industry based in Mexico and U.S.-based post-secondary institutions addressing challenges and opportunities in a consultative, iterative, and contextually grounded manner.
SOLUTION AND SUPPORT PROVIDED
UC San Diego joined World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD)’s Tijuana Tech Tour in October 2022 as one of 20 attendees from education, government, and private sectors. Hosted several times a year, WTCSD‘s Tech Tours aim to strengthen regional relationships with key binational partners such as ITJ by taking San Diegans across the border to experience the tech and industry expertise of our neighbors in nearby Tijuana.
During the tour, UC San Diego learned about the successful technical talent sourcing strategies ITJ implements and offers to San Diego-based companies. Additionally, when UC San Diego learned about ITJ’s software bootcamps as a way to grow talent for client companies, it found value in establishing a binational partnership.
VALUE DERIVED
UC San Diego Extended Studies partnered with ITJ to augment and incentivize professional development pathways for binational tech talent, establishing the new Joint Instructor Training Academy and offering contextually-grounded leadership trainings designed specifically around individual assessments and industry needs. These trainings are the first-of-its-kind, cost-free professional development and certification program aimed to help regional tech talent become ITJ instructors.
Additionally, UC San Diego now provides academic credit and certification for existing bootcamps and workshops, and is exploring options to co-locate training hubs in San Diego and in Tijuana with ITJ, available to diverse stakeholders including industry professionals, teachers, students, parents, and community members.
Looking ahead, UC San Diego and ITJ’s collaborative partnership promises unique developmental educational supports for the burgeoning biotech industry across the San Diego-Tijuana region, establishing professional pathways as early as elementary school and nurturing talent throughout secondary school, postsecondary education, and the career life cycle.
“World Trade Center San Diego’s binational Tech Tour served as both the catalyst for our collaboration and as a springboard for a broader regional endeavor, akin to a ‘CBX for Education.’ It was an impactful trip for us, one that will surely bring value to our binational region and help to redefine the university’s role within the conurbation and across Latin America.”
– Morgan Appel, Assistant Dean, Education and Community Outreach, UC San Diego
Connect with UC San Diego Extended Studies:
- Website: UC San Diego Extended Studies
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