The Career and Adult Learning Services (CALS) team is off to a great start with new team members, new classes, growth in all programs and a great deal of optimism for the 2022-2023 school year. The department includes our Magnet and Alternative Education Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, Career Advancement Charter (CAC), Sueños, and adult programs. These programs are preparing both high school and adult students for a wide variety of careers. The team is excited about all the new projects and plans for the upcoming year.
Professional Learning
The 2022-2023 school year kicked off in August with our CTE and Adult Education instructors coming together to participate in our first team professional learning. With this year’s focus being how to develop high quality career technical education programs from high school and beyond, our amazing team of instructors collaborated on shared experiences and ideas. Throughout the year our team will be collaborating on building strong portfolios, advisory boards, use of technology, connection to industry, and celebration of student work.
Student Information System Upgrades
The CALS team, in collaboration with Tech+, has been working on an upgraded SIS system. The project upgrade includes three phases, with each enhancement focused on expanding capabilities of communication, data and teacher/counselor access. Thank you to Jason Borgen, Chief Technology Officer, and Miguel Rocha, Data Scientist, for all their time and commitment to making these upgrades possible. We are excited about introducing improvements throughout the year.
Cabrillo Career Certificate Pilot Expanding
During the Spring of last year, our Information, Technology and Communication (ICT) and Cabrillo College collaborated to embed a Cabrillo Career Certificate into our course. For two weeks, a Cabrillo instructor led the ICT students on how to build a cover letter, resume and prepare for interviews.
Last year’s pilot program’s overwhelming success has now resulted in our CALS team expanding it into our BTPA, Medical and Dental programs this year. This non-credit certificate provides students with a strong foundation for entering the job market within their chosen sector. We are excited and grateful for our collaboration with Cabrillo College and are looking forward to further expansion into all courses in the future.
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Magnet Programs
The CTE Magnet courses are an important option for high school students looking to discover potential careers within a wide range of career sectors. The COE’s high quality CTE courses provide students the opportunity to gain high school and college credit while meeting the UC A-G requirements.
Our strong partnership with Cabrillo college is providing students with a number options to consider such as:
- Construction Technology
- Culinary Arts
- Baking and Pastries
- Cybersecurity and Networking
- Fire Technology
- Information Support Services
- Music Technology
The COE is currently serving over 230 students within these various courses. In addition to growing our current offerings, we are excited about future career pathway opportunities that will be ready for the 2023-2024 school year. There is a great deal to be excited about within CTE!
Adult Learning Programs
The CALS team is extremely proud to offer a variety of career pathways for our adult students. The Dental Assisting, Medical Assisting and the new Building Trades programs help prepare students for the skills necessary to be successful in each of these industry sectors. These courses, which take place at the 399 Encinal Building, also offer opportunities for certifications and direct connections to industry experts.
This year the CALS team is excited to announce our new collaboration with Cabrillo College. All students participating in these programs will have an opportunity to earn a Cabrillo College Career Skills (non-credit) certificate that focuses on resume and interviewing. This new Pilot will be integrated into each of the course’s curriculum and will be led by a Cabrillo College instructor for a duration of two weeks.
In addition, with the leadership of our dedicated instructors, CALS is pleased to announce that our numbers have increased for both Dental and Medical Assisting. Medical Assisting more than doubled this year in enrollment. Our new Building Trades Program has also expanded from one cohort to three this school year. There is a great deal of opportunity within the Adult Programs and we are excited for all of our 2022-2023 students!