Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Prepare for Entry into Local Industries
Career and Technical Education (CTE) at Sierra College is a group of programs that prepares students for entry into professional level employment opportunities, typically within one to four semesters. There are 23 CTE programs offered at Sierra College directly related to industries within the Sierra College District area and its local labor market needs. View our 2026 CTE Impact Report, Executive Summary and Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) Report.
CTE Programs We Offer
Find a program that meets your goals and interests.
(A-G)
- Administration of Justice
- Advanced Manufacturing (CNC Programming/Operation, Mechanical Computer Aided Design/Drafting, Mechanical Drafting)
- Agriculture (Forest Science/Management, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Business, Urban/Wildlife Forestry)
- Allied Health (Medical Assisting, Phlebotomy, Precertification Nursing Assistant (CNA), Registered Behavioral Technician, Surgical Technology)
- Applied Art and Design (Animation and Motion Graphics, Creative Entrepreneurship, Digital Media, Film and Video Production, Graphic Design, Illustration, Video Production and Editing, Visual Media, Web and Interaction Design, Web Design)
- Automotive Technology (Automotive Basics)
- Business (Administrative Office Specialist, Business Administration, Accounting, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, General Business, Marketing, Real Estate)
- Building Industries (6-week Construction Fundamentals Bootcamp, Architectural Drafting, Facilities Automation and Building Energy)
- Fashion Industries (Fashion Design, Fashion Entrepreneurship, Fashion Industries, Fashion Media, Fashion Merchandising)
- Firefighter I and II Academy
- Fire Technology
- Geography (Geographic Information System [GIS])
(H-Z)
- Health Sciences (Advanced Emergency Medical Technician [EMT], Emergency Medical Sciences, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedicine, Pre-Paramedic)
- Human Development and Family (Associate Teacher, Infant/Toddler, Site Supervisor)
- Information Technology (Cloud Computing, Cloud Skills, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Data Specialist, Information Assurance/Cyber Defense, IT Technician, Network Technician)
- Kinesiology (Fitness Trainer)
- Mechatronics Technology (Electro-Mechanical, Mechatronics Technology)
- Music (Media and Public Event Production)
- Nursing (Pre-Certification Nursing Assistant [CNA])
- Photography (Alternative Processes in Photography, Color Photography, Digital Imaging, Fine Art Photography, Landscape Photography, Narrative Photography, Photographic Processes, Portrait/Fashion/Wedding Photography, Photography/Video)
- Recreation Management (Recreation Specialist)
- Theatre Arts (Costuming, Stagecraft)
- Welding Technology (Gas Metal Arc Welding, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, Metal Fabricator and Designer, Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Welding)
What is Your Goal?
Our CTE programs can help you meet your academic and professional goals.
Earning a Degree or Certificate
Sierra College offers the following options in Career and Technical Education:
- Associate in Arts (AA) and Associate in Science (AS) degrees. There are 36 degrees in 23 programs.
- Certificates of Achievement. There are 45 Certificates of Achievement (18 units minimum to complete).
- Skills Certificates. There are 50 Skills Certificates (fewer than 18 units to complete).
Retraining and Updating of Skills
Short-term training is provided for working professionals needing to update skills in the rapidly changing workplace. This training is offered either through individual classes, industry-based training or through Certificates of Achievement or Skills Certificates. Sierra College can quickly re-train or update workers in a relatively short amount of time, often through evening or Saturday classes.
Lifelong Learning
Many of our courses include students who are attending for enrichment purposes: pursuing a dream, hobby or vocation. We welcome learners at all levels, with all types of goals and reasons for attending. Classes taken credit/no credit can relieve the stress of the grading process. Our faculty members are also lifelong learners and greatly appreciate those who are pursuing something for the love of it, as they have in their own careers.
Career Preparation
CTE programs prepare students for entry into the workforce in their specific fields. Students finish their programs here with a wide range of knowledge: theoretical, hands-on, applied and experiential. Many of our students have had direct experience in their field either through previous work history or through our extensive internship program. Our advisory boards and faculty constantly reassess and adjust their classes to identify and teach the essential skills and knowledge demanded by these industries.
We significantly invest in updating our technology, equipment and materials each year to ensure our students are learning at or above the current industry standard. Our programs are lauded by industry leaders as fully meeting their technical knowledge base and employment needs.
About Our Instructors
Our programs are led by educators with extensive expertise in their field, many of whom also hold positions outside of the college, which contributes to our faculty being the most up-to-date trainers and instructors in these industries. Our programs are also led through Advisory Boards made up of professionals and leaders in each field or industry. They are consulted on an on-going basis regarding program offerings, development, curriculum, labor market needs, new technology and other workplace skills necessary for graduates of these programs to be successful.
The District, and each individual who represents the District, shall provide access to its services, classes, and programs without regard to ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender identity and expression, race, color, medical condition, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or because he or she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics.
Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA)
The CLNA aims to help educators identify, understand and prioritize the needs that districts and schools must address to improve performance and decrease performance gaps. The CLNA is a requirement for Perkins V and is meant to encourage data-driven decision-making for local investment.
