CSULB office retrains displaced workers

By Janet Sugiyama, Forty-Niner Online
Sept. 20, 1995

The office of Continuing Engineering Education at Cal State Long Beach offers programs for people who have been displaced due to job layoffs from technical, aerospace, defense and engineering companies.

The objective of the retraining programs for displaced engineers and other professionals is to help these men and women enter a new field of specialization where employment opportunities exist and are more abundant, according to a press release from the center.

The center offers certificate programs that are customdesigned for specialization, providing basic knowledge skills, as well as proficiency in specific fields of study.

Programs offered include environmental systems engineering, computer programming and network systems engineering, certified Netware engineer, UNIX and client server computing, interactive multimedia computer technologies, geographic information systems for public works, hazardous waste systems technology and construction inspection technologies.

The training programs are intense and consist of about 450 hours of instruction, guided learning, computer workshops and field trips during a period of about six months, said Catherine Light of the center.

Classes are held three days a week with additional days for hands-on practice with computers. The lecture portion of the class is seven hoursÑsix hours a day, with one extra hour for review, assignments and quizzes.

All programs are held in state-of-the-art classroom facilities and computer laboratories at the retraining programs office in Huntington Beach.

The prerequisite for enrollment is a bachelors degree or higher in engineering or science from an accredited institution.

An applicant must also have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher. Two or more years of computer-related experience in the industry is required for computer systems programs.

For more information on the programs or eligibility requirements, one may call (310) 985-7190 or (714) 892-7485.