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California training programs, and what happened to the people who took them

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Plastics Engineering Technology Certificate

California State University Pomona - CPGE (Foundation) · Pomona, CA

Cost
$1,425
Length
6 weeks
Working 6 months later
Not reported

Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled
137
Finished the program
92%Based on 74 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
Not reported
Earnings in one quarter after
Not reported

The jobs 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.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Chemical Engineers

Job ads may call this: Engineer · Scientist · Process Engineer · Project Engineer

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

  • Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
  • Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
  • Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
  • Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
Show 4 more things this job involves
  • Design and plan layout of equipment.
  • Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
  • Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
  • Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
Typical pay in California
Not reportedLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $130,394
Projected openings
1,130Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 130
Projected change
0%
Usually needs
Bachelor's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first
None
Training after you are hired
None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

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.

Engineers, All Other

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

The Department publishes no list of daily tasks for this job. This is how it describes the work instead.

All engineers not listed separately.

What this pays in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles 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.

AreaThe lowest-paid tenth earn underHalf earn underThe highest-paid tenth earn over
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$76,821$131,988$206,451
Across California$77,048$134,513$218,068

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles 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
$134,513per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $129,682
Projected openings
19,090Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,280
Projected change
+6.4%
Usually needs
Bachelor's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first
None
Training after you are hired
None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Civil Designer · Design Technician · Engineer Technician · Engineering Assistant

  • Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities, using calculator or computer.
  • Inspect project site and evaluate contractor work to detect design malfunctions and ensure conformance to design specifications and applicable codes.
  • Read and review project blueprints and structural specifications to determine dimensions of structure or system and material requirements.
  • Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects to ensure conformance to specifications.
Show 4 more things this job involves
  • Conduct materials test and analysis, using tools and equipment and applying engineering knowledge.
  • Develop plans and estimate costs for installation of systems, utilization of facilities, or construction of structures.
  • Confer with supervisor to determine project details such as plan preparation, acceptance testing, and evaluation of field conditions.
  • Analyze proposed site factors and design maps, graphs, tracings, and diagrams to illustrate findings.

What this pays in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles 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.

AreaThe lowest-paid tenth earn underHalf earn underThe highest-paid tenth earn over
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$62,696$93,038$105,368
Across California$56,221$85,827$114,261

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles 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
$85,827per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $87,271
Projected openings
6,450Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,090
Projected change
+4.1%
Usually needs
Associate's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first
None
Training after you are hired
None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

Program details

This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.

Plastics engineering encompasses the processing, design, development, and manufacture of plastics products. Cal Poly Pomona offers one of very few programs in Southern California devoted to the plastics engineering industry. This program will provide you with an in-depth look at plastics engineering technology from a technical and non-technical view.This three-course certificate program provides practical instruction in materials, processing, product design and tooling. The practical knowledge gained on the aspects of Plastics Engineering technology can be applied to all sectors of the industry including manufacturing, design, sales, and customer service.Due to high demand for the Plastics Engineering courses, early registration is strongly encouraged.

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 (2026-09-18). 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.

Ask before you enroll, not after

The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

  • Pomona Valley Comprehensive AJCCComprehensive center

    Phone: 909-242-7999

    1460 E. Holt AvenueThe Village at Indian Hill Suite 130Pomona, CA 91767about 3.3 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am-5 pm

    Has a veterans' representative

  • Covina AJCCAffiliate site

    Phone: 626-667-2601

    1115 E. Puente StreetTri-Community Adult School BuildingCovina, CA 91724about 4.8 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:30pm 0pm Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

  • East San Gabriel Valley AJCCComprehensive center

    Phone: 626-934-5701

    14101 E. Nelson AvenueHacienda La Puente Adult Education (HLPAE)La Puente, CA 91746about 11 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

    Has a veterans' representative

At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. 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