Rural California will power the future if we invest in it

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OPINION — When people picture California, they often think of startups in Silicon Valley or the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Those industries help define the state, but they are only part of the story.

Across California, from the Oregon border to the Central Valley and the communities that feed, build and sustain our economy, more than 2 million people live in rural communities. These regions have long been engines of innovation, agriculture, manufacturing, health care and skilled trades. Yet too often, the students growing up there don’t have the same access to the opportunities that prepare them for the careers of tomorrow.

That’s not because they lack skill, talent or ambition. They simply have fewer pathways to connect what they learn in school with the careers available in their communities and across the state.

The stakes could not be higher. According to a 2024 report by the Public Policy Institute of California, people in rural areas were less likely to be in the labor force (53%) versus those who lived in urban areas (64%) and, on average, rural communities are more likely to experience poverty. 

At the same time, California faces growing workforce shortages in some of its most essential industries. By 2030, the state is projected to need more than 10,500 primary care providers. Engineering, advanced manufacturing and other technical fields are also confronting a wave of retirements that will leave thousands of positions to fill. These are not just workforce challenges. They are economic challenges that affect every Californian. 

If we are serious about building the talent pipelines in these industries and more, we have to start earlier. We have to start in high school.

Career-connected learning is helping schools rethink how students prepare for life after graduation. Through pathway programs, alongside traditional academics, students explore careers through industry-focused pathways, earn credentials, develop durable skills and participate in work-based learning experiences that connect classroom learning to real-world careers. For students, this means graduating with more than a diploma. It means graduating with experience, professional networks and a clearer sense of where they are headed. 

Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) shows what’s possible when these opportunities are intentionally built into a school system. Since partnering with NAF, a national leader in career readiness, the district has expanded career-connected pathways across its high schools, giving students opportunities to explore careers in fields ranging from health sciences to engineering and business. Business leaders and employers support these academies through guest speaking, mentoring, project feedback, work-based learning experiences, internships and apprenticeships.

Today, PUSD’s 14 NAF academies span six high schools, helping drive remarkable student outcomes. Ninety-nine percent of Porterville’s high school seniors graduate — a rate that far surpasses the national average of 85% — while the district also maintains a 98% attendance rate, state standardized assessment scores above both county and state averages, and a 95% postsecondary enrollment rate across two- and four-year colleges and technical education programs. Last year alone, nearly 2,000 Porterville students participated in pathway-aligned internships, joining more than 110,000 NAF students nationwide who gained meaningful workplace experience before graduating from high school.

Those numbers represent more than successful programs. They represent young people who are choosing to build futures for themselves, their families, and often in their own communities. That’s why investing in rural students is not just about expanding educational opportunity. It’s an economic strategy.

Business leaders can strengthen partnerships with local schools to ensure students gain experience in industries facing workforce shortages. Policymakers can prioritize investments that expand career-connected learning in rural communities where access has historically been limited. And school districts can continue building pathways that reflect both local economic strengths and emerging industries.

The future workforce won’t come from one region alone. It will come from every corner of California.  

When we invest in students in rural communities, we are not simply creating opportunity for them. We are building the workforce that will sustain the economy for decades to come. Talent exists in every zip code. Our job is to ensure opportunity does too. 

Lisa Dughi is CEO at NAF. Cynthia “Cindy” Garcia Brown serves as the Director of Pathways at Porterville Unified School District.