Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE) is a high-school career center, so this page covers the adult career training run on the same San Jose campus by its sister school, Silicon Valley Adult Education (SVAE).
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public high-school career and technical education center (SVCTE) and its sister adult school (Silicon Valley Adult Education, SVAE); in person, one campus |
| Location | 760 Hillsdale Ave, San Jose, CA 95136 |
| Who can attend | SVCTE: grades 10 to 12 from six partner districts; adults only if space allows. SVAE: adults |
| Adult career courses (2026-27) | Medical Assistant; Metals Technology (Welding); Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair; two free ESL-support medical courses |
| Typical length | Medical Assistant one year; welding and automotive one evening semester; no degrees |
| Accreditation | ACS WASC (a school accreditor, not a college accreditor) for both schools, through 30 June 2029 |
| Federal aid | None found (no FAFSA or Pell grants mentioned) |
| Operator | Metropolitan Education District (MetroED), a joint powers agency of six school districts |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A high-school career center with an adult school next door
SVCTE is a public career and technical education center for students in grades 10 to 12, run by the Metropolitan Education District (MetroED), a joint powers agency formed by six Santa Clara County districts: Campbell Union, East Side Union, Los Gatos-Saratoga Union, Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara. Students stay enrolled at their home high school and attend one three-hour morning or afternoon session a day. It is not a college and awards no degrees. Adults may join SVCTE courses only “on a space-available basis”, per the SVCTE FAQ, while SVAE, MetroED’s adult school, shares the campus and runs evening and morning career courses, ESL and high-school equivalency classes. MetroED traces its career training to San Jose Technical High School in 1917, and the center took the SVCTE name in 2014.
Adult career courses at SVAE for 2026-27
All SVAE courses meet in person at 760 Hillsdale Avenue. None leads to a degree, and SVAE runs no nursing program for adults.
| Program | What it leads to | Length and schedule | Cost (2026-27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant (day) | Front- and back-office medical procedures; no national exam named | One year: 8 modules plus a one-month externship; Mon–Fri 8:30–11:45 am, Aug 2026–May 2027 | $2,100 |
| Medical Assistant Back Office with ESL Support (evening) | For English learners; no exam named | Tue and Thu 5–9 pm, Aug–Dec 2026, plus a 120–160-hour clinical assignment | Free |
| Medical Terminology with ESL Support (evening) | For English learners; no exam named | Mon and Wed 6:30–9 pm, Aug–Dec 2026 | Free |
| Metals Technology (Welding) (evening) | Prepares for welding industry certifications; no AWS test named | One semester, Tue and Thu 5–9 pm, Aug–Dec 2026 | $670 |
| Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair (evening) | Based on ASE’s Entry-Level program; eight exams toward ASE Maintenance and Light Repair (G1) | One semester, Tue, Wed and Thu 6–9 pm, Aug–Dec 2026 | $570 |
What the adult courses cover
Medical Assistant
The Medical Assistant program teaches front- and back-office medical procedures in eight modules, each meeting Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 11:45 am for five to six weeks, from August 2026 to May 2027. The program also includes a one-month externship at an outside site. Students can start at any module if space allows. Applicants need a high-school diploma or equivalency by the time they finish, a physical and immunizations for TB, MMR, varicella, hepatitis B, Tdap and flu. SVAE does not say whether books or a uniform are extra, and names no certification exam.
Metals Technology (Welding)
SVAE’s welding course is one evening semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 9 pm, 18 August to 17 December 2026. It covers entry-level and intermediate metal design and fabrication, and SVAE says it prepares students for industry certifications in welding. The course page names no American Welding Society test and gives no total hours. It is separate from SVCTE’s year-long Metals Technology course, in which high-school students can earn plate certifications in several welding processes.
Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair
This evening course meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 pm, 18 August to 17 December 2026. SVAE bases it on the ASE Entry-Level program, with a series of eight exams toward ASE’s Maintenance and Light Repair (G1) certification. It is a single semester, not a full automotive technician program. SVCTE’s Electric Vehicles/Automotive Services and Collision Repair courses are high-school classes, open to adults only if space allows, and are not SVAE courses.
Medical courses with ESL support
Two free evening courses are aimed at English learners; the Back Office course uses a CASAS placement test. Medical Assistant Back Office with ESL Support meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 9 pm, 18 August to 17 December 2026, and adds a clinical assignment of 120 to 160 hours at a different site. Medical Terminology with ESL Support meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 pm over the same semester. Both charged a fee in 2024-25 and are free for 2026-27.
Costs for 2026-27 and who pays
MetroED sets one fee schedule for both schools, with no in-district or out-of-state tiers. The 2026-27 schedule, approved by the governing board on 12 August 2026, lists the SVCTE program fee at $5,437 per semester for each morning or afternoon session and the SVAE Medical Assistant program at $2,100, per MetroED’s 2026-27 Schedule of Fees. It does not say who pays the SVCTE fee; high-school students from the six partner districts attend free. Fees are subject to change.
| Item | 2026-27 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| SVCTE program fee, morning or afternoon session | $5,437 per semester | $4,651 per semester |
| SVAE Medical Assistant | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| SVAE Metals Technology (Welding) | $670 (fall 2026) | Not listed |
| SVAE Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair | $570 (fall 2026) | Not listed |
| SVAE ESL and ESL-support medical courses | Free | ESL free; medical courses $450 and $350 |
The welding and automotive fees come from SVAE’s fall 2026 career training page. SVAE refunds a fee only if the class is canceled. We found no federal student aid for either school: SVAE’s pages mention no FAFSA, Pell grants or loans, and we found no GI Bill approval.
Registering and class times
Adults register for SVAE courses online through SVAE’s registration site; when we checked on 15 October 2026, every fall 2026 career course showed registration closed. Medical Assistant runs on weekday mornings, and the other career courses in the evening. SVCTE’s own sessions run from 7:30 to 10:30 am or 12:45 to 3:45 pm, Monday to Friday, August to June, and high-school students enroll through their home high-school counselor, with a free bus from their high school. We found no published application process for adults who want an SVCTE seat.
Accreditation and results
SVCTE and SVAE are each accredited by ACS WASC, the Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, with six-year terms granted in 2023 that run to 30 June 2029. After a mid-cycle visit, ACS WASC reaffirmed SVCTE’s accreditation in a letter dated 8 June 2026. ACS WASC accredits schools, not colleges. Neither school publishes completion, job-placement or certification-exam results.
Before you enroll
- SVCTE is a high-school program. Adults may take an SVCTE course only if a seat is free, and the published fee is $5,437 per semester per session in 2026-27; MetroED does not say who is charged it, so ask before planning on it.
- There is no RN, LVN or CNA program for adults. SVCTE’s Nursing Careers course is a high-school class that prepares students for patient care technician, phlebotomy and ECG exams.
- SVAE’s Medical Assistant program names no national certification exam, and the welding course names no AWS test. Ask which credential or exam each one leads to.
- We found no federal financial aid for either school, and SVAE refunds fees only when a class is canceled.
- Some adult evening courses priced in 2024-25, including HVAC, Culinary Arts and Fundamentals of Dental Assisting, are not on the 2026-27 fee schedule or SVAE’s fall 2026 page. Check that a course is running before you plan on it.
One campus on Hillsdale Avenue
Both schools meet at 760 Hillsdale Ave, San Jose, CA 95136, the career center’s home since 1968. Medical Assistant externships and the Back Office clinical assignment take place at outside sites. There is no student housing; students commute.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Healthcare (Silicon Valley Adult Education)
- Medical Assistant (one year, weekday mornings)
- Medical Assistant Back Office with ESL Support (evening, free)
- Medical Terminology with ESL Support (evening, free)
Trades (Silicon Valley Adult Education, evening)
- Metals Technology (Welding)
- Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair
Campus Locations
San Jose, CA 760 Hillsdale Ave, San Jose, CA 95136