SRAE member schools open doorways to new careers for adult students
An important aspect of Southwest Riverside Adult Education is its commitment to transitioning students from the classroom to the workforce, something it prepares them for with their various career technical education (CTE) courses.
One student to benefit from these career pathways is Samantha Precie, who is currently taking courses at the Beaumont Adult School to become a vocational nurse. She previously graduated from the school’s tuition-free medical assisting program. Her husband is also a graduate of the school’s fee-based vocational nursing program.
“Towards the end of his program, he was made aware by one of the teachers there that she was going to be having a medical assisting program enrolling that summer, and it was going to be free,” Precie says. “We thought we might as well give it a shot, see what happens.”
“The confidence that I had during the externship was solely because of what I learned in the classroom.”
Samantha Precie, Student, Beaumont Adult School
Precie enrolled, and says the courses were very practical, and that the work in the classroom prepared her perfectly for the program’s externship portion, where students get hands-on training at a local medical facility.
“The confidence that I had during the externship was solely because of what I learned in the classroom,” Precie says. “We had skills portions where we learn about something and then we practice the skill. For me, personally, that’s where I feel like I was able to hone in on something that I really liked.”
Precie says that many of the skills she learned as a medical assistant carry over to what’s required of a vocational nurse, and her work as a medical assistant helped reinforce her current choice of career pathway.
“It’s kind of a big crossover and I feel a medical assistant is one of those positions that are looked over,” Precie says. “People aren’t aware that’s a position that you could have in the medical field.”
Currently, Precie works as a school nurse for a local charter school, balancing it with her current classes at Beaumont Adult School. She credits the school for opening up opportunities for her, including creating a clear career pathway from medical assisting to vocational nursing
“I would definitely recommend an adult school, especially seeing my husband go through the program, he’s had such extreme success,” Precie says. “The instructors are incredible and they’re very knowledgeable. A lot of them have a lot of actual experience in their fields.”
Real world instruction
Finding an instructor who is not only qualified to teach but also has experience in their field isn’t always easy, but its invaluable to student success as they move along their career pathways. One of SRAE’s instructors who meets these standards is Zachery Cain, a welding instructor for San Jacinto Adult School.
“I came into San Jacinto High School six years ago and started this welding program,” Cain says. “I’ve had experience in the welding field along with a teaching credential, and having both of those is kind of tough for them to find.”
Cain started the adult welding program last year. The adult classes are held at the high school’s welding facility, which Cain has worked hard to develop into a top-notch workspace since he’s been there.
Cain implements certification into his courses, both for teens and adults, pointing it out as a valuable part of the career pathway program. He’s earned multiple certifications himself, and notes doing so is essential for obtaining better pay and advancement opportunities.
“There are tons of welders out there that are welding but they’re not certified, so their company will not pay them as much” Cain says. “Additionally, there are a lot of jobs out there that you just can’t do unless you are certified.”
Cain says that there are a lot of openings in the job market for trained and certified workers, not just in welding but for skilled labor in general. He says he’s seen multiple students enter into the workforce with well-paying jobs almost immediately after completing his course.
“I have maintenance workers here at our district that took my course and they used their welding certificates to get higher maintenance positions,” Cain says.
The welding and medical assistant career pathways are just some of the options provided by SRAE through CTE programs at its member schools. These programs are tuition free and include courses in business communication; child development; communications; construction; culinary arts; healthcare; and light duty automotive.
For detailed information on specific CTE programs, certifications, and registration processes, please visit sradulted.org/career-technical-education.
Written by Jacob Peterson
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