Career Preparation Courses

ECSN 7300 - Family Childcare Business

• Interested in operating a family childcare business? Learn about California licensing procedures, marketing techniques, contracts and fees, and other aspects of operating an independently-owned business. This course is module 1 of 5 needed to complete a noncredit certificate in operating a childcare business.

ECSN 7301 - Child Health and Safety

• Learn about a child’s health, safety, and nutrition regulations, policies, and procedures with hands-on practice in this course designed for individuals interested in family childcare. Obtain the beginning knowledge and basic skills that could help in providing a safe and nurturing environment for children. This course is module 2 of 5 needed to complete a noncredit certificate in operating a childcare business.

ECSN 7304 - Ethics and Business Contracts

• Module five - child care business course teaches students how they can best run their home day care using professional ethics as a guide, professional relationships, select and maintain staff, interact with parents, maintain contracts, and other business practices.

ECSN 7313 - Observation Made Easy

• The course applies observation and assessment skills in evaluating all areas of the child’s growth and development. It also includes documentation of the child’s skills and behaviors. Knowledge of the child’s development and learning would provide the framework for curriculum and teaching strategies.

VOCE 7400B - Beginning Floral Design

• Develop a designer's eye for floral artistry and learn to create attractive floral arrangements. Learn about design concepts such as color, line, texture, and shape. Also, learn plant identification, care, and seasonal availability of various flowers and greens. Students create arrangements to take home weekly.

VOCE 7401B - Floral Design: Beyond the Basics

• Build on skills learned in Beginning Floral Design by practicing new techniques while refining your eye for design. Continue exploring color, line, texture, and shape. Experiment with new ideas and watch your confidence and creativity bloom. Students create arrangements to take home weekly.

VOCE 7402B - Floral Design: Beyond Basics II

• This course explores sophisticated floral design methods and principles of color theory, encouraging students to develop greater autonomy and artistic expression in their creations. Each week, participants craft unique arrangements to bring home.

VOCE 7404B - Floral Design: Special Events

• Learn the delicate art of transforming flowers and greenery into small-scale arrangements to be worn on clothing or larger-scale items to be used as decor for special events, such as parties or weddings. Principles of design, especially as they relate to smaller-scale projects, are examined. The instructor presents a variety of hand-made, floral-inspired gift items and party or wedding favors. Students create arrangements to take home weekly.

VOCE 7405B - Floral Seasonal Celebrations

• Create a festive atmosphere in your home for the season through the use of fresh flowers, greenery, and decorative items. Design concepts such as color, line, texture, and shape are demonstrated. Projects include centerpieces, novelty designs, permanent botanicals, and fresh florals, all with a seasonal theme. Students create arrangements to take home weekly.

VOCE 7622 - Green Gardening: Beginning 

• This survey course combines discussion, demonstration, and interactive exercises to focus on resource conservation and pollution prevention in the landscape.

*Prerequisite for VOCE 7623

VOCE 7623 - Green Gardening: Advanced

• This course combines discussion, demonstration, and interactive exercises to develop detailed skill sets focused on resource conservation and pollution prevention in the landscape. 

VOCE 7502 Intro to Tax Preparation

• This course introduces basic tax concepts and terminology needed to prepare simple federal/state income tax returns. Students must also enroll in VOCE 7503-Introduction to Income Tax Preparation Software and VOCE 7504-Income Tax Preparation Internship to complete the Income Tax Preparation certificate program.

Course Offered: Spring

VOCE 7503 Intro to Tax Prep Software

• This course provides interactive computerized training using the IRS-approved TaxSlayer federal/state income tax preparation software, under the supervision and coordination of a qualified instructor. Students must also enroll in VOCE 7502-Introduction to Income Tax Preparation and VOCE 7504-Income Tax Preparation Internship of the Income Tax Preparation certificate program.

*Corequisite: VOCE 7502
Course Offered: Spring

VOCE 7504 Income Tax Prep Internship

• This internship provides 40 hours of supervised basic federal/state income tax return preparation hands-on experience utilizing the IRS TaxSlayer software for low-income families. Students must also enroll in, and complete, VOCE 7502-Introduction to Income Tax Preparation and VOCE 7503-Introduction to Income Tax Preparation Software which are the formal training aspects of the Income Tax Preparation certificate program.
• IRS Basic Certification: All volunteers in the VITA/TCE Program must take the Standards of Conduct training and pass the certification test. Volunteer tax return preparers must be certified to prepare taxes and perform quality reviews of returns. Students must pass the applicable course test—Basic, Advanced, Military, or International in order to perform these duties. All volunteers who prepare or review returns must be certified in Basic, at a minimum. Volunteers can stop at Basic or proceed with other courses and certification levels. Volunteers can only prepare and quality review tax returns for the level at which they have been certified.
  https://www.irs.gov/individuals/volunteer-training-certification

*Prerequisite: VOCE 7502 and VOCE 7503
Course Offered: Spring

WKPR 7000 - Planning Your Next Job/Career

• This course is designed for individuals who wish to explore new approaches to work and career opportunities. Students examine their work histories, identify marketable employment skills, and develop work-related goals.

WKPR 7001 - Planning a Job Search

• In this course, students have an opportunity to plan a job search strategy based on their life and work goals, their strengths, and past experiences.

WKPR 7002 - Impression Management

• In this course, students learn impression management concepts that apply to the workplace and life in general. Emphasis is on managing the interview and the job search process as well as using impression management to accomplish career goals.

Elective Courses:

WKPR 7005 - Professional Workplace Skills

• Learn the skills that are essential to success in the workplace. Professional skills are the qualities, habits, and attitudes that make someone a good employee and compatible to work with. 

WKPR 7006 - Practical Workplace Skills

• Get the tools you need to find a job, apply for it, and successfully ace the interview. Gain skills to help you keep a job once you secure one by learning to recognize and solve common workplace problems.

WKPR 7007 - Technical Workplace Skills

• Technical skills can dazzle and impress a prospective employer. When crafting a resume, these skills—customer service, planning and organization, experience with tools and technology, attention to detail, operational excellence, and sustainable practices and safety—are valued by all employers.

Click here to view more information about our Career Preparation classes and Certificate of Completion.