| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private nonprofit career school; in-person training, with a hybrid option in some programs and no fully online programs |
| Centers | 11 in 2 states: 10 in California and 1 in El Paso, Texas; main campus and headquarters at 701 Vine Street, San Jose |
| Credential | CET Certificate of Graduation (no degrees or diplomas) |
| Typical length | Most programs 900 hours, about 8 to 9 months; Truck Driver 630 hours, Truck Driver I 300 hours |
| Accreditation and approval | Council on Occupational Education (COE); approved by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and, for El Paso, the Texas Workforce Commission |
| Federal aid | Yes (Title IV); three-year cohort default rate 0 |
| Cost | Total charges of $5,875 to $16,375 for on-time completers at the California centers in 2024; 2026-27 prices are in catalog addenda, not online |
| Students | 2,833 at the California centers in 2024 |
| Founded | 1967, San Jose |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
CET: a San Jose nonprofit career trainer since 1967
The Center for Employment Training began in San Jose in 1967 and describes itself as an economic and community development corporation. It teaches short certificate programs in construction trades, truck driving, welding, auto repair, medical assisting and office work at 11 centers: 10 in California, from San Jose to the Salinas, Imperial and Coachella valleys, and one in El Paso, Texas. Public programs supply most of its money: 84% of income came from public funding in 2024, including workforce (WIOA) and farmworker (WIA 167) grants that can pay students’ costs. Classes are open-entry, so students do not wait for a term to start. Recent changes include the Oxnard center’s move to Fiske Place, HVAC at El Centro and heavy equipment at Colton in 2025, and Culinary Arts going on hiatus in San Jose.
Programs at CET’s 11 centers
Every program ends in a CET Certificate of Graduation, which requires completing 100% of the program’s hours. Most run 900 hours. The total charges below are what California students who finished on time paid in 2024, as filed with the state; they include tuition, books, supplies, uniforms and tools. Not every program runs at every center, so check the center you plan to attend.
| Program | Hours and length | Where taught | Prepares for | Total charge, 2024 completers (California) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician (Residential & General) | 900 hrs; 30 or 36 wks | Colton (evening), Oxnard, San Diego (evening), San Jose (day), Soledad (day); Coachella coming soon | Electrician Trainee card registration | $16,375 |
| HVAC Technician & Green Technology | 900 hrs; 30 or 36 wks | Coachella, Colton (evening), El Centro (new 2025), San Jose; state filings also list Oxnard, San Diego, Santa Maria | EPA exam preparation; ESCO Green Awareness | $15,500 |
| Welding Fabrication | 900 hrs; 30 or 36 wks | Colton, El Centro, San Diego, Watsonville, El Paso (TX) | – | $15,500 |
| Green Building Construction Skills | 900 hrs; 30 wks (day) | Coachella, Colton, El Centro, Oxnard, San Diego, Santa Maria, Soledad, Watsonville | ESCO Green Awareness (optional) | $15,249 |
| Automotive Specialist | 810 hrs; 27 or 32 wks | Colton (day and evening), San Jose | – | $14,221 |
| Truck Driver | 630 hrs; 21 wks | El Centro, Soledad, El Paso (TX; evening also) | CDL exam | $11,476 |
| Truck Driver I | 300 hrs; 10 or 12 wks | El Centro, Soledad | CDL exam | $5,875 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator / Specialist | 630 hrs (Operator); 690 hrs (Specialist) | Operator: El Centro, Santa Maria, Soledad (state filings); Specialist: Colton (approved July 2025) | – | – |
| Medical Assistant | 900 hrs; about 8–9 months | Oxnard, Salinas, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Maria, Watsonville (evening only) | RMA (AMT) | $15,249 |
| Administrative Medical Assistant | 630 hrs; traditional or hybrid | Oxnard, Salinas, Watsonville | – | $11,476 |
| Medical Administrative Assistant (Health Information Technology) | 900 hrs; day | San Jose | NHA CMAA, CEHRS, billing and coding | – |
| Business Office Administration | 900 hrs; 30 wks | Coachella, Salinas, Santa Maria | Microsoft Office Specialist, QuickBooks User | $15,249 |
| Accounting Clerk | 900 hrs; 30 wks | El Centro | Microsoft Office Specialist, QuickBooks User Certification | $15,249 |
| IT Support Specialist | 900 or 630 hrs (CET’s page gives both); evening | San Jose | CompTIA A+, Security+, CySA+; Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity, CCST | $11,476 |
| Early Childhood Care & Education | 900 hrs; 30 wks (day) | San Jose | CPR | $15,249 |
| Facility Maintenance Technician | 630 hrs; traditional or hybrid | Salinas, Watsonville | – | $11,476 |
Culinary Arts and Low Voltage Applications Technician, both at San Jose, are on hiatus. CET offers no fully online programs; Administrative Medical Assistant and Facility Maintenance Technician have a hybrid format with mornings on site and about two hours a day online.
What the main programs cover
Electrician (Residential & General)
The 900-hour program teaches residential and commercial wiring and photovoltaic systems. It runs about 30 weeks at 30 hours a week or 36 weeks at 25; San Jose and Soledad teach it by day, and Colton and San Diego in the evening. Because CET is an approved school, students can register with California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for an Electrician Trainee card as soon as they enroll. CET does not name OSHA or NCCER credentials. A toolkit, books and uniforms are included.
HVAC Technician & Green Technology
Students learn refrigeration and refrigerant recovery, heating systems, brazing and soldering, ductwork and green HVAC practices over 900 hours, about 30 weeks at 30 hours a week or 36 weeks at 25, with evening sessions at Colton. CET says it facilitates preparation for EPA exams and for ESCO’s Green Awareness credential, but the program page does not say that EPA Section 608 certification is part of the course, so ask how and when students test. El Centro added the program in 2025.
Welding Fabrication
The program covers blueprint reading and five processes: shielded metal arc (SMAW), gas metal arc (GMAW), flux-cored (FCAW), gas tungsten arc (GTAW) and oxy-fuel cutting. It is 900 hours, about 30 weeks at 30 hours a week or 36 weeks at 25, and students keep a basic welding toolkit. CET’s program page does not name an American Welding Society certification test, so graduates who want AWS certification may need to test separately.
Truck Driver and Truck Driver I
Truck Driver is 630 hours, about 21 weeks at 30 hours a week, taught at El Centro, Soledad and El Paso, where evening sessions are also offered. Students train on a tractor with a 53-foot trailer and become eligible to take the CDL exam during the program; CET mentions optional HAZMAT, tanker and doubles/triples endorsements. Truck Driver I is a shorter 300-hour version at El Centro and Soledad. Applicants need a valid driver’s license and must meet DOT and CET requirements, including random drug testing.
Medical Assistant
The 900-hour program, about 8 to 9 months at 30 hours a week, combines administrative and clinical skills, pharmacology, billing and coding, and Clinical Laboratory Practicum I and II, then an externship at a clinic or hospital (CET does not state its hours). Graduates are prepared for the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) exam from American Medical Technologists. Applicants must provide immunization records and have no drug-related criminal record. Evening sections are offered at Oxnard, San Diego and Santa Maria, and Watsonville teaches it only in the evening.
Green Building Construction Skills
This daytime program, 900 hours over about 30 weeks, is taught at eight of CET’s California centers. It covers construction math, rough carpentry, basic electricity and plumbing, interior and exterior finish work and photovoltaic installation, with an optional ESCO Green Awareness exam. CET lists framer, solar technician, carpenter’s helper, plumber’s helper and maintenance technician as target jobs; the optional ESCO exam is the only credential CET names for the program.
Cost and paying for it
CET does not post its 2026-27 prices online: the 2026-27 center catalogs say program costs are in catalog addenda, and none are posted on cetweb.edu. The latest published prices are the total charges for 2024, listed below; ask the center for the current addendum before enrolling. CET is private, so one price applies to every student, with no in-state or out-of-state rate.
| Program | Total charge, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Electrician (Residential & General) | $16,375 |
| Welding Fabrication; HVAC Technician & Green Technology | $15,500 each (CET’s HVAC page says $15,000) |
| Medical Assistant; Green Building Construction Skills; Business Office Administration; Accounting Clerk; Early Childhood Care & Education | $15,249 each |
| Automotive Specialist | $14,221 |
| Truck Driver; Administrative Medical Assistant; Facility Maintenance Technician; IT Support Specialist | $11,476 each |
| Truck Driver I | $5,875 |
CET says tuition covers uniforms, books, supplies, tools and a career starter toolkit. Its 2026-27 San Jose catalog estimates living costs separately, at $19,611 a year for a student living with parents and $33,228 off campus, plus $1,305 for books and supplies. The net price calculator on CET’s site is based on 2020-21 data.
CET takes federal student aid: Pell Grants (a maximum of $7,395 for 2026-27, according to the San Jose catalog), FSEOG of up to $400, Federal Work-Study and Direct Loans. Federal loans were taken by 42% of students in 2024, and graduates’ average federal loan debt was $8,188. Other funding sources include Cal Grant, WIOA, the Employment Training Panel, the Department of Rehabilitation and WIA 167 farmworker grants, some of which pay biweekly stipends. CET accepts VA benefits; VA will not pay for hours beyond 100% of a program’s schedule, and CET does not charge for them.
Admissions and schedule
Applicants must be 18 or older, or 16 to 17 with a high school diploma or GED. There are no academic requirements: CET assesses reading and math with the CASAS appraisal. Applicants without a diploma or GED can qualify under the federal Ability-to-Benefit rules by passing ATB-ACCUPLACER, or ATB-CELSA for students with limited English, and must then co-enroll in CET’s Adult Ed/Career Pathways program. Some programs add checks: immunizations and no drug-related record for Medical Assistant, DOT requirements and random drug tests for Truck Driver, and a background check for Early Childhood.
Enrollment is open-entry and self-paced, so students can start soon after their application is complete. Day sessions run 25 to 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday, typically 8:00 am to 3:00 pm; evening sessions, where offered, run 20 to 25 hours a week. Classes have about 20 to 25 students. Students can cancel without obligation until the first class session or the 10th class day, whichever is later.
Accreditation and job placement results
CET is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). Its California centers are approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (institution code 35752391), and the El Paso center by the Texas Workforce Commission. CET is eligible for federal Title IV aid, and its three-year cohort default rate is 0. BPPE’s 2024 report records no final disciplinary action by the accreditor.
The table shows in-field placement for 2024 from CET’s annual report to BPPE, for all California centers combined: graduates employed in their field divided by graduates available for employment. It does not cover El Paso. No state licence-exam pass rates are published for CET’s programs.
| Program | Graduates available for work | Employed in the field | Placement rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truck Driver I | 36 | 33 | 91.7% |
| Truck Driver | 57 | 39 | 68.4% |
| Medical Assistant | 100 | 60 | 60.0% |
| Business Office Administration | 34 | 17 | 50.0% |
| Facility Maintenance Technician | 36 | 18 | 50.0% |
| Automotive Specialist | 15 | 7 | 46.7% |
| Administrative Medical Assistant | 40 | 16 | 40.0% |
| HVAC Technician & Green Technology | 56 | 22 | 39.3% |
| Electrician (Residential & General) | 240 | 78 | 32.5% |
| Welding Fabrication | 161 | 48 | 29.8% |
| Green Building Construction Skills | 165 | 40 | 24.2% |
| Accounting Clerk | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
Rates differ by center. On CET’s 2024 School Performance Fact Sheets, for example, 65.7% of available Truck Driver graduates at El Centro were placed in the field, but only 26.5% of welding graduates at Colton.
Before you enroll
- In-field placement was below one in three for several of CET’s biggest programs in 2024: Welding Fabrication 29.8%, Electrician 32.5% and Green Building Construction 24.2%. Ask the center for its own rate for your program.
- CET awards a Certificate of Graduation, not a degree or diploma, and you must complete 100% of the program hours to earn it.
- The industry exams named vary by program. Medical Assistant prepares for the RMA, not other medical assistant exams; HVAC does not name EPA 608 certification; Welding names no AWS test; and Automotive names no ASE or smog check preparation.
- 2026-27 prices are not online. The 2024 totals of $5,875 to $16,375 are the latest published figures, so get the current catalog addendum in writing.
- Programs differ by center. Accounting Clerk is taught only at El Centro, and IT Support, Early Childhood and Medical Administrative Assistant only at San Jose. IT Support is very small (7 students started in 2024), and CET’s page gives two different lengths for it.
CET’s 11 centers and what each teaches
| Center | Address | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Coachella | 49-111 Highway 111, Suite 5, Coachella, CA 92236 | Business Office Administration, Green Building Construction, HVAC; Electrician coming soon |
| Colton | 1099 N. Pepper Avenue, Colton, CA 92324 | Automotive, Electrician, Green Building Construction, HVAC, Welding, Heavy Equipment Specialist |
| El Centro | 294 South 3rd Street, El Centro, CA 92243 | Accounting Clerk, Green Building Construction, Truck Driver, Truck Driver I, Welding, HVAC, Heavy Equipment Operator |
| Oxnard | 1741 Fiske Pl, Oxnard, CA 93033 | Medical Assistant, Administrative Medical Assistant, Green Building Construction, Electrician |
| Salinas | 24 Alvin Drive, Salinas, CA 93906 | Business Office Administration, Medical Assistant, Administrative Medical Assistant, Facility Maintenance |
| San Diego | 4153 Market Street, Suite C, San Diego, CA 92102 | Electrician, Green Building Construction, Medical Assistant, Welding |
| San Jose (main campus) | 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110 | Automotive, Early Childhood, Electrician, HVAC, IT Support, Medical Administrative Assistant (HIT), Medical Assistant |
| Santa Maria | 509 W Morrison Avenue, Santa Maria, CA 93458 | Business Office Administration, Green Building Construction, Medical Assistant |
| Soledad | 930 Los Coches Drive, Soledad, CA 93960 | Electrician, Green Building Construction, Truck Driver, Truck Driver I, Heavy Equipment Operator (state filings) |
| Watsonville | 10 Blanca Lane, Watsonville, CA 95076 | Medical Assistant (evening), Administrative Medical Assistant, Facility Maintenance, Green Building Construction, Welding |
| El Paso | 294 Candelaria Street, El Paso, TX 79907 | Truck Driver, Welding Fabrication |
State filings for 2024 also list HVAC at Oxnard, San Diego and Santa Maria and Heavy Equipment Operator at Santa Maria and Soledad, which do not appear on those centers’ current program lists on CET’s site.
Job placement help and housing
CET offers job-placement assistance to job-ready students and follows up with graduates, but it does not guarantee a job. There is no student housing. CET’s San Jose catalog lists typical local rents of $2,761 a month for a studio, $2,920 for one bedroom and $3,858 for two.
Sources
Checked October 2026: CET locations · CET programs · CET catalogs · Annual reports and performance fact sheets · BPPE 2024 annual report · CET tuition · About CET
Programs & Courses
Construction and Building Trades
- Green Building Construction Skills
- Electrician (Residential & General)
- HVAC Technician & Green Technology
- Facility Maintenance Technician
- Heavy Equipment Operator / Heavy Equipment Specialist
Welding
- Welding Fabrication
Automotive
- Automotive Specialist
Truck Driving
- Truck Driver
- Truck Driver I
Healthcare
- Medical Assistant
- Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Administrative Assistant (Health Information Technology)
Business and Office
- Accounting Clerk
- Business Office Administration
Computers and IT
- IT Support Specialist
Education
- Early Childhood Care & Education
Campus Locations
Palm Springs (Coachella), CA 49-111 Highway 111, Suite 5, Coachella, CA 92236
San Bernardino (Colton), CA 1099 N. Pepper Avenue, Colton, CA 92324
El Centro, CA 294 South 3rd Street, El Centro, CA 92243
Oxnard, CA 1741 Fiske Pl, Oxnard, CA 93033
Salinas, CA 24 Alvin Drive, Salinas, CA 93906
San Diego, CA 4153 Market Street, Suite C, San Diego, CA 92102
San Jose, CA 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Santa Maria, CA 509 W Morrison Avenue, Santa Maria, CA 93458
Salinas (Soledad), CA 930 Los Coches Drive, Soledad, CA 93960
Watsonville, CA 10 Blanca Lane, Watsonville, CA 95076
El Paso, TX 294 Candelaria Street, El Paso, TX 79907