MiraCosta College Career & Technical Ed Program to Hold Open House

Courses in sports nutrition, nursing and accounting are among the myriad Career Technical Education offerings at MiraCosta College that will be highlighted during a March 8 open house targeting high school students in coastal North County. Up to 225 high school students are scheduled to attend.

“We have thousands and thousands of high school kids graduating who do not have the necessary skills to get into today’s job market,” said James Hayes, who is helping to coordinate of the March 8 event. “We’re trying to do something about that.”

MiraCosta College has an extensive Career Technical Education program, and some 42 percent of students there enrolled in CTE courses last fall, said Mimi Lively, who works in the Career Technical Education office and is organizing the event.

“The idea is to bring in students from the high schools who are interested in CTE programs and expose them to what we have to offer at MiraCosta College,” Lively said. Too often, she said, high school graduates overlook Career Technical Education offerings when making their decision on what to do next.

High school students will attend morning sessions detailing course offerings that range from horticulture and hospitality to child development and computer technology. The morning sessions will be followed by lunch, and the day will conclude with a presentation from Ron Nash of Dream Job University, a company committed to helping college graduates and job seekers learn strategies that will impact their job search.

Community high schoolers who are interested in attending the after-lunch presentation, dubbed the Career Connections Tour, can visit http://careerconnectionstour.eventbrite.com/ MiraCosta College is located at 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. For more information about this afternoon seminar, contact Mimi Lively at 760.757.2121, ext. 6578.