California community colleges to offer 4 year degrees under pilot program

California school officials are set to select as many as 15 community colleges for a pilot program that would allow them to offer 4-year degrees.

California’s Community College Board of Governors is set to select the schools on Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento.

Community colleges in the state currently offer 2-year degrees. Under legislation authored by State Sen. Marty Block, as many as 15 colleges could offer 4-year degrees in areas including health information management, dental hygiene and biomanufacturing.

The degrees are not currently offered by the University of California or California State University systems.

Block says the program could reduce the state’s unemployment rate, and it would give employers a more qualified workforce to draw from.