The California Community Colleges serve more than 2.1 million students and is the largest system of higher education in the nation. The state's 112 colleges provide workforce training, teach basic math and English, and prepare students for transfer to four-year universities and colleges. Senate Bill 852 established the Career Technical Education (CTE) Enhancement Fund, which allocated $50 million in the 2014- 15 budget year to expand, enhance, and improve upon CTE programs statewide. This funding was designed to help community college CTE programs purchase equipment, align and develop curriculum, and provide professional development training to better meet the employment needs of the regional economy in each of seven macro-economic regions. The chancellor of the California Community Colleges distributed funds to the districts designated as fiscal agents according to a formula that factored in CTE full-time students, all full-time students, and the number of colleges in each region. This one-time award created opportunities for community colleges to collaborate with each other and industry representatives in seven different macro-economic regions. This collaboration allowed the community colleges to better address the ongoing challenges of providing high quality CTE programs. By providing high quality CTE education, California community colleges can help address the skills gap. More than 30 percent of jobs in the seven macro-economic regions will require a postsecondary education credential, certificate or associate degree. Likewise, students need the opportunity to earn credentials and advance their skills in order to find high-wage employment. Increased education leads to higher wages for workers and greater prosperity for the region. The full cost of CTE, however, exceeds apportionment funding. While the CTE Enhancement Fund in the 2014-15 budget went a long way toward helping community colleges by funding much-needed equipment upgrades and professional development, these additional costs are ongoing. Continuing to provide money in future state budgets for the CTE Enhancement Fund will help thousands of CTE students to achieve their academic goals and find jobs and provide new skills to incumbent workers. Moreover, the investment in regional collaboration through intensive comparison of current CTE courses and programs to labor market needs is the most effective way to address the high cost of CTE programs.