A New CCSF Initiative
College of Innovation
A new education-to-career hub at CCSF's Downtown Center — connecting high school students and working adults to credentials, paid experience, and careers, all in one place.
Downtown Center
88 Fourth Street
San Francisco
Why it Matters
Talent, not circumstance, should determine opportunity.
San Francisco's economy is growing fast in tech, health care, and the sciences — but too many students and adult learners never get a clear path into paid work experience, and family-sustaining careers. The College of Innovation closes that gap by uniting a youth pathway and an adult pathway under one roof, with shared advising, wraparound support, and direct employer connections.
Anchored at CCSF's Downtown Center, the College of Innovation turns a central, transit-accessible location into a citywide front door for education-to-career opportunity.
2
Connected pathways — one for high school students, one for working adults
1
Shared hub at the Downtown Center, 88 Fourth Street
4-Year
Compressed timeline from high school to an Associate degree
Our Solution
Two pathways. One shared hub.
Every learner enters differently, but everyone gets access to the same advising, employer partnerships, and career supports.
Youth Pathway
Starting in High School
- Accelerated, dual-degree middle college with SFUSD
- Earn a high school diploma and an Associate degree at the same time — in four years, not six
- Paid internships and apprenticeships with anchor employers
- Graduate into employment or transfer to a four-year institution
Adult Pathway
For Working Adults & Adult Learners
- Referrals through HSA, OEWD, and community-based organizations
- Short-term career training leading to a CCSF credential
- Paid work experience aligned to employer needs
- Innovation Incubator: employers help design curriculum alongside CCSF faculty
How it Works
From first step to career.
| 01 | Connect Students and adult learners enter through SFUSD, HSA, OEWD, or a community-based organization referral. |
|---|---|
| 02 | Learn & Advise Shared career navigation, advising, and wraparound supports — transportation, childcare, technology — remove barriers from day one. |
| 03 | Earn a Credential Youth pathway: a high school diploma plus an Associate degree. Adult pathway: a CCSF credential aligned to employer needs. |
| 04 | Gain Paid Experience Internships, apprenticeships, and paid work experience with employer partners, co-designed through the Innovation Incubator. |
| 05 | Launch a Career Graduates move into employment with family-sustaining wages, or transfer to a four-year institution. |
Where it Happens
CCSF's Downtown Center
The College of Innovation is anchored at CCSF's Downtown Center — a nine-story facility in the heart of San Francisco, blocks from Yerba Buena Gardens, Union Square, and the Moscone Convention Center, and easily reached by BART, Muni, and Caltrain.
88 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Built On Partnership
Working with San Francisco's institutions
- San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)
- San Francisco State University (SFSU)
- University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
- SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
- Human Services Agency (HSA)
- Local Employers