Career Education
Empowering students' lifelong success through career and technical education
Welcome to Coastline's CE Department
Career Education (formerly known as Career and Technical Education (CTE)) is designed to empower all students to become successful citizens, workers, and leaders in the global economy.
Students at Coastline can start or further their education through industry certifications, on-the-job training, or continue careers started in the military. CE serves as an important step in a pathway toward a successful career.
What Is Career Education?
Today, more than ever, employers want to hire entry-level employees who can hit the ground running. This is where career and technical education (CTE), now called CE, comes in. CE is a broad term for education that combines academic and technical skills with the knowledge and training needed to succeed in today's labor market. CE prepares students for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies in a real-world, applied context.
Compared to vocational schools of decades past, modern CE spans nearly every industry. In addition to traditional pathways like business and construction, today's CE programs cover health sciences, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, computer science, media, data analytics, and many other fields. Coastline offers many of the certifications in short online courses on specific skills.
Furthermore, the programs are designed for all students: those who want to attend a four-year college, those who plan to combine work and learning at Coastline College, and those who intend to enter the labor market directly.
'Stack' Certificates on Route to a Degree!
Just like a menu, stackable certificates are like the side dishes, to the main course. Together with that entrée, they add up to your meal.
That's how students can now get an alternative college experience today. How does it work? Easy.
First, get a credential in a skill you need, then another, and another. Each can quickly pay off on its own by helping you to get a job, raise, or promotion. Over time, they can add up to an associate's degree and yes, even a bachelor's degree.
“Even if I choose not to finish, I would still have these pieces and I'd say, 'Look what I've done,' as opposed to, 'I have two years of college' but nothing to show for it." - Mike, Coastline student
"Stackable credentials" or "micro-credentials" can start stacking up for high-demand industry certifications in subjects such as technical support, cloud technology, and data analysis while on your way to a bachelor’s degree in Data Management, for example. You can start building an impressive resume before you graduate.
Certifications will increase your value on the job market. Need a little education to get back into the workforce? Need to get it quickly, at the lowest possible cost, and in subjects directly relevant to available jobs? Earn a micro-credential within a few months at Coastline and improve your potential to get hired.
Stackable Credentials
The above graphic shows how an IT Foundation - Certificate of Accomplishment (which is 12 units), an IT Support Specialist - Certificate of Accomplishment (15 units), Cybersecurity Fundamentals - Certificate of Accomplishment (12 units), and the Cybersecurity - Certificate of Achievement (21 units) can lead to a Cybersecurity Associate of Science Degree in 4 terms or 60 units.
