We help people build careers by fixing how systems work.
Eleven Tenths brings colleges, employers, and communities to the same table to make the system work for the people it's meant to serve.
What we do
We align strategy, curriculum, partnerships, and operations to build workforce systems that perform in the real world.
Strategy and system design
Designing programs that align with real employer demand. We translate goals into systems that actually deliver outcomes.
02Curriculum and program development
Building and aligning curriculum to what employers actually hire for, so programs teach the skills the work requires.
03Partnership and employer engagement
Connecting colleges and employers in lasting partnerships that keep training aligned with real hiring needs.
04Implementation and operations
Once systems run, we document, maintain, and improve them based on how people actually use them.
Recent work
Designed and delivered in partnership with colleges, industry leaders, and workforce organizations.
Four paid weeks, then a career powering the internet
AWS and Eleven Tenths launched the Infrastructure of the Internet Pre-Apprenticeship, connecting unemployed adults to hands-on training in data center construction and digital infrastructure.
Read the case studyCalifornia Community Colleges and plumbing degree pathways
An apprenticeship that also earns a college degree: an Associate of Science alongside journey-level certification.
Regional collaborationBayICT Partnership
A regional pipeline into IT and cybersecurity, built where Bay Area colleges and employers meet.
AI and data analyticsLaney College: AIDA RJV
One front door to fast-growing AI and data careers, linking community colleges, industry partners, and learners to clear pathways.
Statewide strategyCalifornia Online College
A new statewide college designed for the workforce. Our leadership shaped the launch strategy, from sector analysis to the legislative planning behind it.
Who we are
Employers need skilled workers. Plenty of people are on pathways that don't lead there. The colleges and public agencies in between often can't connect the two, because the cultures, funding, and structures on each side don't line up.
Eleven Tenths works in that gap. We're a national team that knows both sides: how employers hire and how education systems actually run. We design the programs, write the curriculum, bring the partners together, and stay through delivery.
We believe education should meet people where they already are. The name says the rest: eleven tenths, 110 percent, past good enough and into a system that works for the people it's meant to serve.
Leadership team
Raymond Kaupp
Ray has led initiatives across industry, workforce development, and higher education. In the California Community College system he led workforce work at Foothill College, San Mateo Community College, and the state Chancellor's Office, and helped launch the California Online College. Before that, Apple and Silicon Valley startups. MBA, UC Berkeley; Ed.D., San Francisco State University.
Read Ray's full bio
Carl Cimino
More than 40 years in the construction trades and apprenticeship training. As Training Director at the Loyd E. Williams Pipe Trades Training Center for U.A. Local 393, Carl led one of the nation's most respected apprenticeship programs and mentored thousands of workers. He still champions apprenticeship as a first-rate path into a career.
Sarah Ferguson
Two decades leading education, workforce, and community initiatives. Sarah has managed projects for BayICT, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Cabrillo College, and Your Future Is Our Business, with a focus on strategic planning, grant writing, and program coordination.
Katie Galvin
Associate Professor at California State University, Stanislaus, and former Director of Field Education at San José State University. Katie has consulted with community colleges across California on research, curriculum, and partnerships. Ph.D., University of Utah; MSW, CSU Sacramento.
Valerie Gunder
More than 20 years in IT leadership, project management, instructional design, and technical support. Valerie has served as CIO for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, managed statewide IT initiatives for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and designed instruction at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Raymond LeVangie III
Construction, technical training, and workforce development. As Executive Director of the Apprentice & Journeymen Training Trust Fund, Raymond oversaw curriculum and instruction for plumbing and piping apprentices across Southern California. His background also spans project management, BIM leadership, and union organizing.
Josh Sebright
More than a decade in the skilled trades as a welder, pipefitter, and boilermaker, with multiple AWS welding certifications plus OSHA 30 and MSHA 120. Josh has taught at Blackhawk Technical College and coordinated welding programs.
Lauren Tabata
Marketing, web development, and creative communications across education, workforce development, and digital design. Lauren builds the campaigns, websites, and brand work that connect students, colleges, employers, and workforce partners.
Talk to us
Building a pre-apprenticeship, a degree pathway, or an employer partnership? Tell us what you are working on and where it is stuck.