Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
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For the week of August 29, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Addressing the talent gap through inclusive innovation
As K-12 institutions, universities, and community colleges across San Diego County welcome students back for the new school year, expanding our local skilled talent pipeline to meet our region’s 2030 Inclusive Growth goal is more important than ever. EDC’s latest Inclusive Growth update tracks workforce demand continuing to rise amid a stagnation in bachelor’s degree completions, leading regional education partners and employers to invest in more stackable credentials, work-based learning, and education-to-career pathways.
In May, San Diego Regional EDC hosted its quarterly convening on the Inclusive Growth goal focused on skilled talent. With more than 50 leaders from private companies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, the discussion focused on creative ways to grow San Diego’s innovation economy workforce. Participants engaged in critical conversation about the ways work-based learning, credit for prior experience, and new forms of education funding will help the region reach its skilled talent goal.
Within the Inclusive Growth framework, the talent goal is the only one measured in annual cohorts. Each year, EDC tracks the number of San Diegans completing a post-secondary education within six years of high school graduation. The goal is to see 20,000 newly skilled workers in San Diego each year.
Post-secondary education completions include certificates, associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degree and post-graduate degrees. The data focuses on students that completed high school in San Diego County, capturing their post-secondary completions regardless of where they went after high school graduation. The goal is driven by two factors:
A thriving innovation economy and evolving technology in every sector mean that most of the jobs being added to the economy require a post-secondary degree.
As San Diego’s high cost of living continues to threaten talent attraction into the region, it is crucial to ensure access to quality jobs for current residents.
For a full breakdown on the purpose of the goal, take a look at the original report.
The goal update
Of the 31,510 students that graduated from a San Diego high school in 2018, 12,850 of them had completed a post-secondary education by 2024. While we did see a one percent decrease from the last report, completions have generally remained consistent following the largest recorded increase from 2020 to 2021. We are not yet seeing the impacts of the COVID pandemic, and likely will not for another two years.
San Diego K-16 Students have sustained PSE completion rates
A double-click into degree completions
When we look one layer deeper at the students that completed a post-secondary degree by 2024, the data reveals good news for San Diego. The demographic distribution of degree-completers is generally reflective of the region’s demographics, and the areas of study are evenly distributed, with Business Administration boasting the highest portion of graduates. Nevertheless, when comparing the types of degrees conferred from 2020 to 2023, there was a decrease in bachelor’s and associate degrees and a significant increase in awards of less than two academic years. With most of the jobs being added in San Diego’s innovation economy requiring a bachelor’s degree, there is a crucial need for stackable credentials. These credentials would allow certificate holders to follow the path to a bachelor’s degree but offer the option to pause along the way while still being qualified for a good job.
The ability to move between the education system and a career is a win for everyone involved. Employers often struggle with unrealistic expectations or an inability to apply theory when hiring people from the academic system with little to no time in industry. On the student side, the cost of getting an education can be a barrier to student completion. Many people benefit from programs that are broken up into more “bite-size pieces,” allowing them to save up between sections/courses. Notably, education institutions that receive additional funding for successful student completion are able to count the same person multiple times when programs are broken up into smaller pieces. This opens the door for more funding opportunities.
Bachelor’s degree completions decrease despite that being the most in demand for new jobs
Talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not
Despite being an epicenter for innovation and groundbreaking ideas, not all of San Diego’s residents have access to that innovation economy. Poverty disproportionately affects people of color, leading to barriers in educational attainment and the ability to compete for innovation jobs.
Additionally, shrinking high school class sizes mean that the portion of high school graduates going on to complete a post-secondary degree will need to increase for the region to meet its annual goal of 20,000 new skilled workers.
All of this is compounding to create a challenging hiring environment for employers. Even when the economy is facing higher levels of unemployment, the long-term trends around skill alignment and the need for more workers with a post-secondary education remains constant.
As mentioned before, one potential solution is for the region (and the country) to invest in more ways for learners to obtain industry-recognized degrees and credentials. Credit for prior learning or experience, dual-enrollment, and generally improved alignment across education systems become critical.
Innovation economy demographics are not reflective of regional demographics, or the workforce of tomorrow
Addressing the talent gap with strategic partnerships
During the May roundtable, a few partners were able to share how they are working to integrate the education and work journeys for participants.
Companies like Vertex Pharmaceuticals, in partnership with Junior Achievement of San Diego County, offer high school internship programs to support students in exploring the professional world and understanding their career aspirations before ever leaving the K-12 system.
The community college system is working with employers like GKN to build an apprenticeship hub the enables more earn-and-learn models without the headache that often comes with standing up a registered apprenticeship.
Organizations such as Family Health Centers of San Diego have been exploring loan forgiveness as a retention tool for staff, while ASML is investing in internal upskilling to support employee advancement and long-term workforce development.
Call to action
EDC cannot do this work alone. Progress on the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals is only achievable with and through the region’s employers scaling innovative and intentional solutions. If you want to be a part of the incredible group of organizations that are carrying the torch to 2030, EDC invites you to endorse the goals, use data tools like our talent dashboard and the progress reports to tell San Diego’s story, and share with us how you are driving progress toward an Inclusive San Diego.
Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of August 22, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Case Study: Epitope Diagnostics entered eight new markets, accelerated global sales with MetroConnect
With support from World Trade Center San Diego, San Diego-based Epitope Diagnostics leveraged MetroConnect’s export consulting and international partner networks to navigate STEP grants, regulatory hurdles, and expand into key markets like Germany, India, and the UAE. As a result, Epitope saw 55 percent growth in international sales and added nine full-time employees, including six in San Diego.
Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of August 15, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Just 10 minutes south of Downtown San Diego sits one of South County’s best kept secrets: National City. Home to everyone from military families to engineers and many small business owners, National City offers community and culture with authenticity and affordability.
New analysis quantifies jobs, housing, other economic impacts for forthcoming Sports Arena redevelopment
A new analysis commissioned by Midway Rising and authored by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) quantifies the projected economic and fiscal impacts of the Midway Rising redevelopment, which would revitalize nearly 50 acres of City-owned land in San Diego’s Midway/Sports Arena neighborhood.
With the addition of thousands of market-rate and designated affordable housing units, an entertainment district centered around a 16,000-seat facility, and a highly-amenitized urban park, EDC estimates Midway Rising will have a $285 million direct annual economic impact, equivalent to hosting another San Diego Comic-Con.
“This project is more than just a redevelopment—it’s a long-term investment in San Diego’s future,” said Mark Cafferty, President & CEO of San Diego Regional EDC. “As our region and state grapple with a dire affordability crisis, Midway Rising promises meaningful and accessible housing options, as well as a world-class tourism and entertainment hub that will add jobs. This is exactly the type of bold, private economic investment San Diego demands.”
Midway Rising’s more than $3.9 billion redevelopment will remake the nearly 60-year-old, City-owned Sports Arena facility and surrounding parking lot in the Midway neighborhood, and includes 4,250 new homes, a new 16,000-seat arena, and 130,000 square feet of retail space.
The EDC analysis also revealed other economic impacts to the City and neighborhood, including:
172% increase in housing stock in the Midway neighborhood.
The building of 2,000 deed-restricted affordable homes below 80 percent Area Median Income, which is the single-largest affordable housing project in California’s history.
The staffing of 3,100 permanent jobs paying 12 percent higher average wages relative to the site’s current retail mix.
A doubling of arena visitor spending from $160 million to $344 million annually.
$1.4 million in new tax revenues to the City and $3.9 million in new tax revenues to the County each year.
Participation in the City’s Business Cooperation Program, which reallocates the full 1 percent sales and use tax directly to the City’s General Fund.
Throughout the 10-year phased build-out, total construction activity is estimated to generate $3 billion in gross regional product and $94 million in tax revenues within the City of San Diego, while supporting the creation of 21,900 temporary construction jobs.
Selected by the City in late 2022, the Midway Rising team is made up of affordable housing developer Chelsea Investment Corporation, sports venue developer and operator Legends, market-rate housing developer Zephyr, and The Kroenke Group, a real estate investment company led by billionaire and professional sports team owner Stan Kroenke.
Midway Rising is anticipated to break ground in late 2026 pending City Council approval later this year.
The EDC assessment was commissioned by Midway Rising in Summer 2025. EDC currently does not endorse specific ballot measures or candidates. From time to time, we provide objective research on the economic impact of specific measures or proposals such as this to better inform the public and policymakers on a project’s potential economic impact. If you are interested in working with EDC on customizable research, contact us.
Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of August 8, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
From the Pride Parade and Comic-Con International, to Curebound’s Cancer Challenge and more, no matter what may be happening in the world around us, it once again feels like a very special summer in San Diego.
No matter what may be happening in the world around us, almost any day of the summer months in San Diego might lead you to believe that everything is perfect. And while we all know that perfection is largely unattainable, what is undeniable is that it (once again) feels like a very special summer in San Diego.
From the moment Pride flags are raised throughout our neighborhoods, and the San Diego Convention Center begins its heroic transformation into host, setting, and backdrop for Comic-Con International, the city’s streets truly come to life in July. Over the last 55 years, Comic-Con has grown to become a beloved international brand within the entertainment industry while remaining an anchor event for San Diego’s tourism engine. Meanwhile, San Diego’s Pride Parade/Week continues to attract more than 300,000 attendees and remains the largest annual civic event in the City of San Diego.
As August begins, we have seen San Diego nonprofit Curebound once again raise millions of dollars in its effort to “end cancer in our lifetimes” through its (growing) Curebound Cancer Challenge. Originally known as Padres Pedal the Cause, the event moved from its exciting venue at Petco Park to its new home on the scenic Torrey Pines Mesa. This past weekend, EDC team members joined tens of thousands of cyclists, walkers, and fundraisers as they made their way past the campuses of the very institutions responsible for the scientific research and breakthroughs that are keeping San Diego at the forefront of this global fight.
And whether the remainder of the summer sees you tuning in to the Padres pennant race, attending a concert with the San Diego Symphony at the Rady Shell, or enjoying time on San Diego’s 70+ miles of beaches and coastline, we hope that the warm days and nights ahead remain (near) perfect and special for you, your business, your friends, and your family.
We hope to see you soon at our:
Summer Bashon August 14 for a night of networking with more than 300 innovators, live music, delicious bites and drinks, and a short keynote from Kate Therapeutics’ Kevin Forrest, in conversation with LYZZ Capital’s Court Turner.
Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of August 1, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
World Trade Center San Diego’s MetroConnect export accelerator will help your business navigate international expansion and build resilience in today’s volatile trade environment. With 110 alumni including Dr. Bronner’s, CureMatch, Bitchin’ Sauce, and Cloudbeds, companies have achieved an average 66 percent export growth and 45 percent revenue growth. Apply today to receive export grants and exclusive workshops with global trade experts.
At the top of each year, we try to look ahead to which trends are most worth tracking for the potential impact each can have on our local economy. We began 2025 watching AI and affordability, as well as whether massive investments from both corporations and the federal government would translate into job growth.
We also began 2025 flagging that there would be many wild cards in the year ahead that could knock us off course. As we enter the second half of the year, we want to pause to take stock of what has been a very tumultuous six months, with both immediate impacts and long-term implications…
Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week. GNOTW is sponsored by ACE Parking.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of July 25, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Join us Aug. 14 for EDC’s Summer Bash featuring keynote Kevin Forrest, Ph.D., co-founder of Kate Therapeutics, which recently sold to Novartis for $1.1 billion. Hear about his new venture, ReyjaBio, and what’s ahead for life sciences in San Diego. Enjoy live music, bites, Nova Kombucha brews, and the chance to win a trip to Panama—get your ticket before they’re gone!
