Terry Green, a driving force for higher education in the Coachella Valley, is retiring as vice president of the CVEP's Workforce Excellence Program. Terry has played an integral role in the workforce development initiatives that landed more than $8 million in grants. In his tenure, Terry and his team raised the bar for scholarship application rates and created liaisons between institutions of higher learning to educate workers in key industry clusters aimed at diversifying the Coachella Valley economy. 

Promoted to the post held by Green will be Sheila Thornton, a health workforce and leadership development consultant who has led and directed CVEP's Healthcare Industry Council since 2005. 

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The City of Indio awarded CVEP's Workforce Excellence Program with high honors at the City Council meeting last week for its work to inspire a record number of Indio High School students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Workforce Excellence FAFSA competition "2012 Battle of the High Schools", inspired more eligible Indio High School seniors than ever before to complete the FAFSA application: The completion rate at Indio High School was 92 percent. The valley can claim a win too, since 2011 when the FAFSA campaign began, the FAFSA completion rate has increased significantly from the valley-wide average of 30 percent to 62 percent in 2012. Read more...

The dream of a college education is becoming a reality for more than 361 Coachella Valley students. Thanks in large part to CVEP's Workforce Excellence program "Pathways to Success" which provides financial assistance and guidance to help our community's students reach for, afford and succeed at higher education. This Saturday, June 16, 2012, ceremonies will recognize some of these scholarship recipients.  Read more...