Water Resources and Conservation provides students with an integrated background and critical knowledge of water resources and conservation issues. Students will gain skills and practical application of those skills to design, implement and evaluate water conservation programs that address current and future water issues at a local, national, and global level. The program combines classroom, laboratory, and field study instruction providing students with a well‐rounded preparation in the water resources and conservation field. The goal of the program is to train and prepare students for a career in the water field as water efficiency/conservation technicians, coordinators, or specialists, or as water resources specialists and technicians. The program will also prepare students for water conservation certification examinations administered by professional associations within the water industry.

Sustainability is a key component of our Urban Farming Certificate of Achievement program. Thriving, localized food economies benefit the health of the people, the planet, and the communities surrounding them. Sustainable urban farming is among several fields of study that are uniquely poised to capture opportunities presented by an increasing awareness of the need to preserve and protect limited resources. The goals of the Urban Farming Certificate of Achievement program are to provide enhanced opportunities for those striving to acquire knowledge of sustainable farming practices in an urban environment, based on the principles of sustainability. We seek also to support quality technical instruction, career and skill enhancement as well as lifelong learning for members of the community.

Students who complete the Sustainable Landscape Design certificate program will gain fundamental skills in landscape design elements, process and techniques, that are aesthetic, functional, and sustainable, and that contribute to the local ecology. Students will have opportunities to apply their understanding of sustainable horticultural aspects to the development and management of landscape design projects to promote green living environments. Graduates with these skills can gain entry‐level employment in jobs such as landscape planning, design, construction, maintenance, and management of environmental systems and landscape design. Students may also elect to take HORT 144 to prepare for the C27 Contractor Licensing Exam.

Sustainability is a key component of the Horticulture Program. Sustainable horticulture is among several fields of study that are uniquely poised to capture opportunities presented by the expanding Green Industry and an increasing awareness of the need to preserve and protect limited resources. The Sustainable Horticulture Certificate of Achievement program is based on horticultural science and technology, and prepares students for careers such as community, residential, and urban farm planning and design, organic grower, arborist, nursery management, nursery sales, nursery support, pest control adviser, and creation of gardens for human well-being and therapy. Careers also include opportunities related to the production and care of ornamental herbaceous plants, trees, shrubs, fruits, nuts, and vegetables commonly used in landscape design, urban farming, therapeutic gardens, and plant nurseries. Students, who may pursue being a certified arborist by the State of California, may also elect to take HORT 144 to prepare for the C27 Landscape Contractor Licensing Exam.

The Plant Identification Occupational Skills Award encourages students to master skills required to identify all of the important annuals, groundcovers, vines, trees, shrubs, and native plants used in Southern California landscapes. Award holders will be able to make recommendations for the incorporation of these species into the landscape based on flower color, time of flowering, height, spread, fruit production, and known problems. This skill set will support students to gain entry level employment in nurseries (both wholesale and retail), tree care companies, landscape maintenance companies, and more.

This certificate trains workers for entry-level employment and provides skill upgrading for existing workers in companies related to Industrial Automation. Typical jobs include Automation Control Specialist/Technician, Motion Control Specialist/Technician, Industrial Control Specialist/Technician, Electrical and/or Electronics Engineering Technician, Electro-Mechanical Technician, Industrial Engineering Technician, and Mechanical Engineering Technician.  Major topics covered include analog and digital electronics fundamentals, microcontrollers, robotics (theory, construction, and programming), motors and controls, programmable logic controllers, and mechatronics

The General Landscape Design Occupational Skills Award encourages students to acquire a comprehensive overview of drawing, design, and construction materials used by landscape designers. Students completing our program will exhibit competency in hand drafting techniques, the ability to express landscape concepts with plant materials, and hardscape construction principles. The skills acquired will also enhance the ability of students to provide landscaping assistance to customers of retail and wholesale nurseries as well as residential landscape design industries.

The General Horticulture Occupational Skills Award encourages students to master skills required to propagate and maintain healthy plants, including the use of soils and fertilizers.

The General Electronic Technology certificate program primarily prepares the student for entry‐level employment as an electronic technician in companies involved in the manufacture, testing, troubleshooting, and repair of electronics hardware. The program covers the fundamentals of electronics, including electronic components, circuits, test equipment, testing, and troubleshooting, with flexibility for the student to take some elective courses of personal interest. The certificate also provides skill updating and upgrading for persons already employed in the electronics industry or related fields. Possible careers for electronic technicians with this certificate include field service technician, medical equipment technician, test and calibration technician, and electronics sales.

The Ecological Restoration Certificate prepares students to use basic and applied ecological concepts to reclaim and/or restore natural processes and functions to disturbed ecosystems. As the only available technical certificate in Ecological Restoration in Southern California, the program emphasizes application of restoration techniques to monitor, assess, preserve, and restore ecosystems while providing students a solid foundation in local natural history, ecological concepts, ecological disturbances, and an understanding of natural resource management policy.

Students completing the certificate will be prepared to pursue professional opportunities such as restoration ecologist, environmental restoration planner, field technician, or similar with organizations including government (US Forest Service, National Park Service, California State Parks), corporate (ecological/environmental consulting firms), and non-profit (nature centers, community-based restoration, land trusts and conservancies).