CTE classes provide students valuable hands-on experience in various fields like technology, healthcare, design, and more, which can help prepare them for future careers they are interested in. 

CCA stands for College and Career Advantages, a program that oversees the CTE courses which represent Career Technical Educational classes. They are interchangeable words the CUSD district uses to explain the special classes provided inside and outside of school that students can partake in.

For the 2024-2025 school year 24 classes ranging from Fashion Design to EMT will be offered as after school courses. 

The state of California determines the classes that are presented for CTE, based on industry needs. Many of these classes have been offered for the past year, but they are offering newer ones like Esports and Aviation Careers. 

These classes are able to provide first hand experience that helps students find passions in a certain pathway or career they want in the future. 

“Most of these classes are A-G meaning that they meet the UC and Cal State standards and a lot of them are Honors,” said Career Guidance Specialist Lynne Bell. 

Becoming a “pathway completer” is something special that these courses offer. If a student completes the pathway by taking a level 2 class and then a level 3 class in a field, they get a designation on their transcript. This is something that colleges can see and it shows how rigorous the courses are that students are taking and how project based and collaborative they are. Completing these courses also allows students to be awarded a cord to wear at graduation. 

The courses will be offered at 7 different high schools in the district, the College and Career Advantage Training Center, and there is also a Virtual Week Course. 

SJHHS already has 22 CTE classes offered in bell, during school hours, which benefits students who have busy schedules and other obligations outside of school. 

Applications open on February 12 at 8 am. For more information, stop by the college and career center in the library or send inquiries to Ms. Bell.