(a) (1) The governing board of a community college district, prior to establishing a vocational or occupational training program, shall conduct a job market study of the labor market area, as those terms are defined in Section 52301.5, in which it proposes to establish the program. The study shall use the State-Local Cooperative Labor Market Information Program established in Section 10533 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, or if this program is not available in the labor market area, other available sources of labor market information. The study shall include a California Occupational Information System supply analysis of existing vocational and occupational education or training programs for adults maintained by high schools, community colleges, and private postsecondary schools in the area to ensure that the anticipated employment demand for students in the proposed programs justifies the establishment of the proposed courses of instruction.

(2) The governing board of the community college district shall make copies of each job market study available to the public.

(b) Subsequent to completing the study required by this section and prior to establishing the program, the governing board of the community college district shall determine whether or not the study justifies the proposed vocational education program.

(c) If the governing board of the community college district determines that the job market study justifies the initiation of the proposed program, it shall determine, by resolution, whether the program shall be offered through the district’s own facilities or through a contract with an approved private postsecondary school pursuant to Section 8092.

(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 365, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1999.)