Join the Journey video series spotlights careers in public education in effort to boost recruitment and retention across the county
The Santa Barbara County Education Office is pleased to announce the launch of a new multimedia education recruitment campaign, Join the Journey. This campaign aims to inspire individuals to pursue a fulfilling career in education by learning about the diverse roles within schools, districts, and the county education office.
The Join the Journey campaign includes video vignettes featuring school, district, and county education employees sharing their personal stories about their daily impact—and why they recommend a career in education.
“Schools in our county and beyond are facing persistent staffing shortages,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools, Susan Salcido. “‘Join the Journey’ spotlights the many essential roles in education, and we hope it inspires individuals to consider a career in our amazing and dynamic field. By sharing the voices of individuals working in our schools right now, we hope to inspire the next generation of public education professionals. Our message is simple: join the journey and be part of what many of us consider one of the most impactful and rewarding careers that exists.”
In our first three video features, you’ll meet Goleta Union’s Bus Driver Lupe Medrano, Lompoc Unified’s Paraeducator Diane Campo, and SBCEO’s Speech-Language Pathologist Erin Shurson, school employees from across the county who have at least one thing in common: they love what they do.
SBCEO is also looking for nominations for future video features. Schools, districts, and local community members are encouraged to nominate outstanding public education employees via our campaign’s webpage: sbceo.org/jointhejourney.
To further support recruitment efforts, SBCEO has developed a comprehensive campaign toolkit that school districts can use to tailor the Join the Journey message to their specific needs. This resource is also available for download on the campaign’s webpage.
“We sincerely hope this campaign will help our schools and districts attract the talent they need to continue providing excellent educational experiences for all students,” added Superintendent Salcido. “It’s a collaborative effort, and we’re excited to see how Join the Journey can make a difference across our county.”
For more information about the Join the Journey campaign, to view the videos, or to submit a nomination, visit sbceo.org/jointhejourney. For open positions within SBCEO, visit sbceo.org/hr, and for district-specific opportunities, please check individual district employment pages or edjoin.org.