Career classes provide skills

Finding an occupation in today’s economy can be difficult, especially if one does not have the skills needed to accomplish the job at hand.

Contra Costa College’s Career and Technical Education programs provide willing students the chance to learn skills  they can obtain and carry into the field they want to take on after leaving the college.

There are several different majors that are considered to be a CTE program including nursing, culinary arts, early childhood education, health and human services and journalism.

Biotechnology professor Katherine Krolikowski said, “I think both transferring and doing a CTE program is important if someone is trying to find a job. You have to be employable, with certain skills even after graduating.”

She said the departments that fall within the CTE teach students hands-on skills that can be applied to the industry of choice, making them desirable to employers.

“Within the program, students get to learn how to work with equipment as well as learning about the documentations and policies biotechs need to know,” Dr. Krolikowski said.

Recently, the CTE department received a grant called the Trade Adjustment Assistment Collaborative Grant, which provides funding to teach students how to work in logistics.

Economic Development Dean Priscilla Leadon said because of the college’s location, in a region where much shipping goes through, CCC and 10 other colleges and universities received $15 million to train students to be a part of that workforce.

“We are doing a career pathway for warehouse and logistics. The funding was critical to get people  working those jobs,” she said. “We hope to have two classes of cohorts trained every semester.”

The Forklift Logistics Operations and Warehouse Training (F.L.O.W.) classes began this semester, as a late start classes on Feb. 4. The program will be in session until April 15, allowing students to get their Cal/OSHA certification, which is necessary to work with forklifts and prove they understand California’s occupational safety procedures.

The CTE department has many partnerships in the Bay Area including the West Contra Unified School District that received the 2012-14 Workforce Innovation Grant. The grant will provide insight into possible careers in health care, technology and administration of justice.

“There is a health academy at three high schools, Pinole Valley, De Anza and Richmond, where students learn to put together PowerPoint presentations about health topics,” Leadon said. “The students become health care advocates to their peers.”

The funding for the academies provides guest speakers to come to the schools, gives opportunities for students to go on field trips to places to learn more about that particular field, and prepares students to carry themselves in a professional manner.

The high schools require sophomores to take one of the three academies for that year in order to continue in the program.