Pharmacy Technician
Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Education · Watsonville, CA
- Cost
- $1,933
- Length
- 8 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 32%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 40
- Finished the program
- 97%Based on 29 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 32%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $8,640A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The job this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Pharmacy Technicians
Job ads may call this: Compounding Technician · Accredited Pharmacy Technician · Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) · RPhT (Registered Pharmacy Technician)
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate.
- Enter prescription information into computer databases.
- Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
- Compute charges for medication or equipment dispensed to hospital patients and enter data in computer.
- Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $44,923 | $51,502 | $87,811 |
| Across California | $44,049 | $56,653 | $83,463 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $56,653per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $50,763
- Projected openings
- 41,220Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 300
- Projected change
- +8.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Started college, no degree — 34% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 3% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 3%
- High school diploma
- 25%
- Started college, no degree
- 34%
- Two-year degree
- 17%
- Four-year degree
- 17%
- Master's degree
- 3%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 1%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
This comprehensive program will prepare students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail or other pharmacy setting and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board's PTCB exam. Course content includes: pharmacy medical terminology, the history of pharmacy, the pharmacy practice in multiple environments, pharmacy calculations and measurements, reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining drugs by generic and brand names. Through classroom lecture and hands on labs, students will review dosage calculations, drug classifications, the top 200 drugs, I.V. flow rates, sterile compounding, dose conversions, aseptic technique, the handling of sterile products, total parental nutrition (TPN), dispersion of prescriptions, inventory control and billing and reimbursement. (Textbooks included) Note: This program includes a clinical externship through a local pharmacy. To be eligible for a clinical externship, students must successfully complete the program, submit to a thorough background check, drug screening and meet other requirements.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
SCCOE - Suenos Youth Program ServicesAffiliate site
Phone: 831-466-5672
229 Green Valley RoadSequoia SchoolsFreedom, CA 95019about 3 miles away
Hours: Monday-Friday 9a.m.-5p.m.
Santa Cruz County, Workforce, Watsonville Career CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 831-763-8933
500 Westridge DriveCounty of Santa Cruz, South County Government CenterWatsonville, CA 95076about 4.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Closed 12:00 noon - 1pm
work2future Gilroy Job CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 408-758-3477
379 Tomkins Ct.Social Services AgencyGilroy, CA 95020about 9.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →