BC Launches College Corps Career Development Program
Thursday, April 16, 2026
This week, Bakersfield College announced an exciting partnership with College Corps which provides a unique opportunity for students to gain valuable professional development while earning money to help pay for college. BC has been awarded a $3.2 million dollar grant through the California Volunteers College Corps program to launch the initiative.
College Corps is a paid service and career training program at colleges and universities across the state. The goal is to connect students with local businesses and non-profit organizations to receive ongoing training, mentoring, and professional development while earning up to $10,000 for college. Participating students will have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields, including K-12 education, climate action, food security, and many others.
BC hosted a press conference to announce this exciting collaboration and invited local news outlets, students, and community members to celebrate. Attendees learned more about the College Corps program, and its benefits for students, the college, local businesses, and the community.
Allison Priola, Director of California Volunteers College Corps, addressed attendees during the press conference and was enthusiastic about the new partnership, “We are so excited to be here today to celebrate something truly remarkable for this campus and community,” she said, “College Corps is a statewide service program helping students with diverse backgrounds graduate college on time with less debt, while providing meaningful, paid service opportunities – all while addressing critical community needs. It really is a win, win, win.” She also mentioned that in the program’s four-year existence, hundreds of community organizations have been supported, thousands of students have participated with more than five million service hours provided.
Bakersfield College President, Dr. Stacey Pfluger, shared her thoughts on the College Corps partnership. “BC values learning, community and sustainability,” she said, “this program pulls all three of those together in a way that our students can learn in a professional environment, give back to the community, and help us all grow a better community.” Dr. Pfluger was also optimistic about the impact it would have on students, “I believe that it has the opportunity to change students’ lives and perspectives – and that’s what its all about,” she said, “we want to set up students for success when they leave here, and this is one of the ways we can do that.”
Congratulations to Bakersfield College and their new partnership with California Volunteers College Corps. A big thank everyone who was involved in making this collaboration possible, from submitting applications, community engagement, web pages, student applications, and more. We look forward hearing stories of success from both students and local businesses and non-profits, and we hope this program can continue for many years to come.
For more information about the College Corps program at BC, please visit the the College Corps webpage on the BC website. If you are a BC student and would like to participate in the program, please fill out the Student Application. If you are interested in being a Community Host Partner, please fill out the Community Host Interest Form.
