Career education courses are a pathway to good entry-level jobs right out of high school. In taking a sequence of courses in a specific field, students are prepared to take industry exams. If they pass the exams, they earn a certification that allows them to enter the field immediately – and they can advance in their career over time by taking aligned courses at a local community college, allowing them to build on that initial certification. Their pathway to a solid, well-paying career starts with career education in high school!
Parents
and Family
Answers To Your Questions
About Career Education
Find out more about Career Education and how it can help your child in high school and beyond
Career Education is about much more than getting a good-paying job after high school. It’s about learning skills that can enhance their career, their college studies and their future.
What is Career Education?
Career education can put middle and high school students on the path to becoming both college- and career-ready by the time they graduate from high school.
Career education offers courses that prepare students for careers across a variety of industries, including healthcare, agriculture and retail – some of Kern County’s largest industries.
Explore the different career clusters offered at Kern County schools (or watch short career videos) and start to get excited about your child’s future!
If my child takes career education courses, will they still be
prepared to attend a 4-year
college?
YES! Career education courses prepare your child for both college and
career. In today’s world career education is important so our children can:
- Understand responsibility¹
- Learn what is required to get and keep a job
- Receive information about and gain experience in careers of interest
- Make informed choices for postsecondary education and life
- Early College
Find which career education programs are offered at your child’s school and which local colleges have programs that allow your child to continue their studies in a specific field.
1 https://www.djuhsd.org/cms/lib/CA02208718/Centricity/Domain/823/cteframework.pdf
Why would I want my child to take career education courses instead of going with the traditional high school graduation program?
High school students involved in career education are more engaged, perform better and graduate at higher rates. The average high school graduation rate for students concentrating in career education programs is 93 percent. Compare that to the average national freshman graduation rate of 80 percent.
The vast majority (91 percent) of students who earned 2-3 career education credits enrolled in college. Wondering how much education your child might need for a certain career or how much they could make? Check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s Career OneStop page.
Can My Child Get a Good Job Right Out Of High School if They Take Career Education Courses?
Ready to dive deeper into career options? Browse this listing of short career videos on the California Community Colleges Salary Surfer YouTube Channel.
FIND IT. BE IT.
Learn more about programs
available at your child’s school
“After I’m finished with my degree program here, I’m gonna have more education under my belt and more skills, so I’ll be able to get into the Health Information Field instead of the simple IT Management. ”
FOUND IT. A PATH TO A GREAT JOB
KERN COUNTY
Find IT. Be IT.
In Partnership With:
