Most popular programs are nursing and administration of justice, but others offered as well
Published in the July 9-23, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo courtesy Gavilan College
A Gavilan Community College student and teacher work on how to draw blood from a mannequin during a Career Training and Education class last year.
Many local people think of Gavilan Community College for its academic courses to transfer to a four-year university, but the college has many opportunities for people who simply want to gain new career skills. Gavilan offers options for students to be successful in its Career and Technical Educational programs. Some CTE certificate programs can be completed in as little as one semester, such as the Certified Nursing Assistant program.
Morgan Hill Life recently asked Gavilan Dean Sherrean Carr, who is in charge of the CTE program, about why people looking for a new career might benefit from the various courses offered by the college.
What is your most popular career technical program and why are students going into this program?
The most popular CTE programs are the nursing programs and Administration of Justice. Health related industries are high-wage, high-demand careers, and the Administration of Justice program can serve as a precursor to the Police Academy (which Gavilan also offers) or other justice-related careers such as probation officer, correctional officer or juvenile hall counselor, to name just a few.
A new popular program is Water Resources Management, which trains students for careers in the water and waste-water industries. There are many steady jobs projected in this field (we will always need water!) which makes it a good choice for someone with an interest.
If someone is interested in getting into a career technical program, what are some things they might want to consider in their career decision and how can they get into the program?
The most important thing to consider is making an appointment with one of the counselors here at Gavilan who are skilled at helping students discover their strengths, interests and special abilities and can help you determine what career path might be the best fit for a successful future.
Gavilan offers an apprenticeship program in carpentry and drywall/lathing. How does this program work and what are the benefits for a young person looking for a career in carpentry?
Interested students must first complete the Carpenters Training Center of Northern California North application (which can be found at CTCNC.org.) After submitting the application, (directions are on the website), they will be contacted if they are accepted, and can then become union members and get on the work waiting list. They begin taking week-long Gavilan College apprenticeship classes at the Career Training Center of Northern California, which is located in Morgan Hill. Students receive Gavilan College credit for their completed coursework. There are many opportunities in our area for employment in a variety of the building trades.
Can you please describe one or two successes of students who entered one of the Gavilan College programs — such as the Child Development or Aviation Maintenance Technology?
There are numerous success stories from Gavilan Career Technical Education graduates but here are just a few:
One of our cosmetology alumni opened her own local salon, Cherisse’s Hair Salon in Morgan Hill. She is a successful entrepreneur who is also a platform artist for famed Paul Mitchell.
Recently in Aviation Maintenance Technology we received a call from a manager from Space Systems Loral. He called to inform us that one of our May graduates received a job in their satellite development division. He thanked us for a job well done and asked for leads on our next graduating class. This is our second student hired by Space Systems Loral in the past three years. Boeing has increased its prediction for growth in the demand for aviation mechanics. We have also learned that United Airlines will be bringing more work back to their San Francisco location where they will be bringing more of their maintenance operation in-house. Gavilan College has the only aviation mechanics program in the Bay Area. We currently have more requests from employers for graduates than we have students. This latest news is a strong indication there are many opportunities available to our AMT graduates.
In Child Development one of our graduates received her Associate of Arts degree at Gavilan, went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree and then opened and directed her own Child Development program. She went on to complete her Masters degree in Child Development and is now part of our teaching faculty.
Not only that, Susan Alonzo, director of the Gavilan College Child Development Center, is herself a former student of the Child Development program here at Gavilan. After getting her initial training in the Child Development program, she got her license and ran a home-based childcare facility prior to joining the Gavilan College staff.
