CET celebrates 50th anniversary grad
Many students from the Center for Employment Training (CET) graduation Friday did not have a diploma, but after months of rigorous instruction are prepared to enter an increasingly technical workforce.
Launched in 1967 in San Jose as former farm land was converted to industrial parks, the CET provides professional training (200,000) in several sites in California, Texas and Virginia to prepare many former field hands for the professional world of tomorrow. The CET is proud to celebrate its golden anniversary that empowers low-income workers to partake in new tech jobs, noted Dora Mendivil-Angulo, CET Region II director. Now graduates have acquired more marketable skills.
“I’m from Mexicali and I know what it is to be a farmworker, toil in the field all day and then go to school at night,” she said. “You come here to better yourselves and at CET we instill in you to get a good job, retain it and then get a better job.”
CET’s El Centro site has operated since 1980. At Eagles Lodge, 60 students received certificates in accounting, green building construction, retail operations, welding fabrication and truck driving. Courses are six months or longer and students can cycle in and out, yet most commit to graduating without any leave of absence, noted Elvira Anaya, center director. Students need a diploma to receive financial aid. Many have not finished high school, but qualify for funds if they pass an ability-to-benefit (basic skills) exam.
“We help them find work with resume coaching, mock interviews and schedule interviews,” said Anaya. The CET also sharpens soft skills providing instruction on punctuality, reliability and customer service interaction.
Our graduates have an 81 percent success rate getting training related work, they’re ready to produce from day one,” said Anaya. “But a year or two from now, we’d like to see our graduates as supervisors or managers.”
One of several graduates of the year was Dhelma Vargas who received a certificate as an accounting clerk and was recently hired. Anaya praised her as a positive role model, very friendly and always willing to help classmates.
“It’s a great honor and I really respect the recognition,” said Vargas. “I’m very excited and kind of proud to be working. I’m very grateful to my teachers, Oscar Cervantes and Karla Armendariz.”
Recognition was also given to employers of the year, one of which was White’s Steel, Inc. that supplies structural steel, I-beams, columns and ornamental iron to building contractors. Manager Diego Molina noted his firm is proud to associate with the CET because it caters to the immigrant community where he came from and added, that he applauds them for their outreach.
White’s Steel mostly looks for basic welding knowledge and a committed worker remarked Molina. His firm has hired 53 CET grads in the last five years. What they like about them is obviously good attendance, he noted.
“Their work ethic stands out,” he said. “As former field workers, accustomed to 14 hour days, when they come to work for us, it can be a piece of cake.”