HUNTINGTON BEACH : College Consortium to Back Trade Pact
A consortium of colleges created to support the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico, headed by Coast Community College District Chancellor Alfred P. Fernandez, has been officially incorporated in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The Coast Community Colleges system includes Golden West, Orange Coast and Coastline colleges.
The organization, International Consortium for Educational and Economic Development, is designed to promote economic growth and assist in creating jobs generated by the trade agreement in the communities served by the participating colleges, officials said.
The organization will focus on faculty and student exchanges, teacher training, science and mathematics education, migrant education, literacy, dropout prevention, technical education, continuing education and educational technology.
“As the free trade agreement moves closer to becoming a reality, ICEED will work to stimulate the creation of local jobs and prepare the participating community colleges to respond to training needs in the U.S, Mexico and Canada,” Fernandez said.
ICEED includes 16 U.S. community colleges in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California, and Mexico’s Colegio Nacional Profesional y Technica, a national organization composed of 250 technical colleges, officials said.
Fernandez was elected president of the organization earlier this year.
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