Events
Explore virtual and in-person events happening throughout California Working Learner Week.
October 5, 2026 | 10:15am PT
2026 State of California Learners Address
Californians who work while they learn are the majority of learners in this state. But our postsecondary system was designed for someone else.
Join College Futures Foundation President & CEO Eloy Ortiz Oakley for the 2026 State of California Learners Address, opening California Working Learner Week. Eloy will share new findings from the third year of College Futures' statewide research with Gallup on Californians without a degree. The address will feature insights from working learners in their own words, a look at what happens when a region designs education and employment together, and a direct ask of California's next governor. Streaming live on October 5, at 10:15 am PT.
October 5–6, 2026
California Working Learner Summit
At this invitation-only event, College Futures Foundation and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund will bring together leaders advancing evolving learning models that rethink how learning is designed, delivered, supported, and connected to work and economic mobility in order to better meet the diverse needs of learners. The day will create space to learn from what others are building, work together on shared challenges, and consider what these efforts reveal about the future of learning and economic mobility.
October 8, 2026 | 11AM pt/2pm ET
Learners Know What They Value: Shaping Choice and Possibility
At every stage and age, Californians are still learning. Millions of working adults are considering postsecondary education and training, but too often face a system that asks them to find value without offering options that fit their lives.
In this webinar, new research from Gallup and ideas42 offers insight into what adult learners value, what shapes their decisions, and what higher education leaders, funders, and policymakers can do to build a system that better meets their needs and aspirations—in California and beyond. Join Zach Hrynowski of Gallup, Cassie Taylor of ideas42, and Amanda DeLaRosa of College Futures Foundation as they kick off California Working Learner Week and explore what the research reveals.
October 13, 2026 | 10AM PT
Degrees of Value: A Multidimensional View of College ROI
What does college return on investment look like when we look beyond earnings alone, and through the experiences of adult learners who paused their education and later returned to complete their degrees?
This virtual conversation will highlight new research from California Competes that explores the financial, personal, and social value Californians gain when they earn a credential, as well as the policies and supports that can make completion more attainable and meaningful.
Hosting an event that centers working learners or explores how education and workforce systems can better support them?
Learn how to participate in California Working Learner Week.