Anthony M
Anthony chose the CEM program because he has been working rigorously in the HVAC industry for five years. Now he aspires to start his own business or work in a high management position.
He never thought college was for him, but one day he opened up a course catalog Cabrillo had mailed to see what they offered. He found it interesting that they offered a program in construction and energy management and decided to look into it further.
“Here I am now, three semesters in. I'm a full time employee, a full time student, and a father of two girls.”
Anthony is grateful for the opportunity, saying "I have learned so much from the professors. It has been amazing to learn so much from these people who have such an abundance of first hand professional knowledge."
Stacie B
Stacie, who is now a Home Energy Rating Systems Rater, hit a rough patch when getting divorced and her mother passing away. She went on unemployment for the first time in her life. She remembers getting her first check, and included was a flyer about the opportunity to go on Fast Track to Work.
“I knew that this was at Cabrillo," says Stacie.
Her instructor remembers Stacie as being very motivated by the training provided by CEM in 2009.
Stacie received a $10,000 scholarship that really helped her financially and put her on a path for success.
"I will be in demand until I'm 75 years old… this is the future," Stacie says happily.
Aspen M.
"I began my studies at Cabrillo college in the CEM program, now I am studying architecture at CU Boulder. I am so appreciative for learning about sustainable building, framing, and sparking my interest in biomimicry while in junior college."
Pete Johnson
"I work for a plumbing/mechanical/electrical company here in Soquel and have taken almost every CEM course at Cabrillo. All the construction management, code, and energy courses have been high quality and very informative. The instructors are all experts in their fields and truly care about passing on that knowledge. I highly recommend this school and area of study for young people looking to get into the trades, as well as those of us who are already employed and looking to expand our knowledge and training. The trades are extremely understaffed and in need of qualified applicants for entry level jobs that turn into high paying careers. It's also nice that most of the courses are offered in the evening since most construction workers have day jobs. For us as a local company it's also valuable to have Cabrillo as a resource for education and training. There isn't another school close by that fills this need."
Gunner H.
For many years, Gunner was proud of the title, “Jack of All Trades; Master of None”. With this title, he could effectively navigate around the construction site and operate various pieces of equipment to get the job done.
“In my 30s I tried to get promoted in my job. The “Master of None” kept getting in my way. I could not secure my future as a Jack of all trades. I needed to master something if I wanted to excel in my career.”
When he was 40 years old, he signed up for Construction and Energy Management Program at Cabrillo College. He learned everything he needed to know to excel in the construction industry, like all construction fundamentals, a better grasp on construction law, how to read blueprints, and things like just knowing the difference between overhead costs and direct job costs.