How do I find CTE programs?

If you’re currently incarcerated…

In a federal prison: Every federal prison offers a different range of Occupational Education (OE) programs, which may include certificate programs as well as programs leading to associate’s degrees.[2836] Soon after you enter prison, your Unit Team and Education Staff should give you an assessment and recommend programs for you. If you have no stable work history or training record, you may be assigned to an OE program.[2837] If you haven’t been assigned to an OE program and would like to be, ask your Unit Team to place you in one. Your Unit Team will decide what OE course(s) may be right for you.[2838]

Notes on eligibility & timing: Certain OE programs may be open to you only if you have a high school credential or are working toward one.[2839] Also, if you need job training but spaces are limited, you might not be placed in an OE program until the last several months of your sentence, to ensure that your training is current when you’re released.[2840]

In a California state prison: Every CDCR facility provides a different range of CTE programs, all accredited by a nationally recognized agency. (For information on accreditation, see PG. 849.) Since these CTE programs are properly accredited, you should be able to transfer credits from these programs to a college degree program. (For information on transferring credits, see PG. 875.) There are no eligibility or testing requirements for CTE programs in CDCR facilities, but you will be limited by what programs your facility has available.[2841] Ask your Correctional Counselor about what CTE programs are offered and how you can sign up.

NOTE ON THE TRANSITIONS PROGRAM: Some CDCR facilities offer the Transitions Program, which is a 4-5 week program that provides job readiness and money management skills, information about community programs, and connections to social services in the county where you’ll be living. If your facility has this program and you’re eligible, you may be assigned to participate at some point during the last 6 months before your release.[2842]

In a California county jail: Because programs vary greatly across county facilities, you will need to check with your facility’s education department to see if CTE programs are available.

If you’re formerly incarcerated

CTE programs are offered at community and technical colleges as well as four-year colleges. To find CTE programs in your area:

    Check your local public library for information about CTE programs, adult schools, and colleges in your area.
    Search on the Internet for nearby schools and programs. The following websites are good starting points:
    California Community College Finder: www.californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/maps/map.asp;
    California Adult Schools: www.californiaadultschools.org/cas/;
    California Adult Education Provider Directory: www.otan.us/caaeproviders/.
  1. 2836

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5353.01, OE Programs (Dec. 17, 2003) at 4. Note: All federal correctional facilities are mandated to offer OE training, with these exceptions: metropolitan correctional centers, metropolitan/federal detention centers, the Federal Transportation Center, satellite camps, and the administrative maximum facility. U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, A Directory of Bureau of Prisons’ National Programs (May 2014) at 6. ↑

  2. 2837

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training, and Leisure Time Program Standards (Feb. 18, 2002). Otherwise, if you’re able to work, you should be assigned to a paid institution job. See 28 C.F.R. pt. 545, subpt. C; U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5251.06, Inmate Work & Performance Pay, www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/5251_006.pdf; U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Legal Resource Guide to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2014) at 21. ↑

  3. 2838

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5353.01, OE Programs (Dec. 17, 2003) at 3. ↑

  4. 2839

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training, and Leisure Time Program Standards (Feb. 18, 2002). ↑

  5. 2840

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5353.01, OE Programs (Dec. 17, 2003); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, A Directory of Bureau of Prisons’ National Programs (May 21, 2014) at 6. ↑

  6. 2841

    CDCR CTE programs are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Programs focus on 6 career fields: building and construction; energy and utilities; finance and business; public service; manufacturing and product development; and transportation. Some facilities offer programs in basic employment skills, while others offer more advanced programs that can lead to a certificate, license, and/or certification. See Office of Correctional Education, Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab. Div. of Rehabilitative Programs, www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/oce.html; Cal. Dep’t Corr. & Rehab., Operations Manual 101010.3.4–101010.5.4 (2015); CTE Programs, Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab. Div. of Rehabilitative Programs, www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/career-technical-education.html. ↑

  7. 2842

    Facilities offering the Transitions Program include: Avenal State Prison, Central California Women’s Facility, California Institution for Men, California Institution for Women, California Men’s Colony, Correctional Training Facility, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, Folsom Women’s Facility, High Desert State Prison, Ironwood State Prison, California State Prison—Los Angeles County, Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, and Valley State Prison. For a current list of facilities that offer the Transition Program, see Transitions Programs, Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab. Div. of Rehabilitative Programs, www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/transitions-program.html. ↑