Business Occupations General
Central Valley Opportunity Center · Winton, CA
- Cost
- $6,338
- Length
- 19 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 71%
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
- 177
- Finished the program
- 78%Based on 130 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
- 71%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
- $7,740A 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 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.
Shrinking -34.5%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Related work California expects more of
The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licenses and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.
- Medical Records Specialists$63,540 · +15% · 75 programs here
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,779 · +12.6% · 47 programs here
- Administrative Services Managers$110,717 · +7.1% · 33 programs here
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$56,711 · +1.4% · 24 programs here
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$91,106 · +1.3% · 24 programs here
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$45,143 · +5.3% · 4 programs here
Where California publishes a separate figure for Merced MSA (Merced County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
File Clerks
Job ads may call this: Clerk · File Clerk · Claims Clerk · Clerk Typist
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.
- Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports.
- Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval.
- Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Complete general financial activities, such as processing accounts payable, reviewing invoices, collecting cash payments, or issuing receipts.
- Track materials removed from files to ensure that borrowed files are returned.
- Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users.
- Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
What this pays in Merced MSA (Merced 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $35,337 | $46,290 | $62,044 |
| Across California | $37,650 | $50,200 | $79,948 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Merced MSA (Merced 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
- $50,200per yearMerced MSA: $46,756
- Projected openings
- 8,840Merced MSA: 40
- Projected change
- -13.3%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
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.
Word Processors and Typists
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Typist · Clerk Typist · Stenographer · Word Processor
- Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes.
- Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format.
- File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and delete documents.
- Print and make copies of work.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Transmit work electronically to other locations.
- Address envelopes or prepare envelope labels, using typewriter or computer.
- Type correspondence, reports, text and other written material from rough drafts, corrected copies, voice recordings, dictation, or previous versions, using a computer, word processor, or typewriter.
- Gather, register, and arrange the material to be typed, following instructions.
What this pays in Merced MSA (Merced 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $43,987 | $49,637 | $69,476 |
| Across California | $41,724 | $57,714 | $67,275 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Merced MSA (Merced 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
- $57,714per yearMerced MSA: $47,614
- Projected openings
- 6,450Merced MSA: 40
- Projected change
- -34.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
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.
Office Clerks, General
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Clerk · Office Clerk · Clerical Aide · General Clerk
- Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
- Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
- Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
- Collect, count, and disburse money, do basic bookkeeping, and complete banking transactions.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Complete and mail bills, contracts, policies, invoices, or checks.
- Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
- Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
- Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
What this pays in Merced MSA (Merced 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $36,217 | $47,938 | $64,143 |
| Across California | $37,046 | $49,607 | $74,953 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Merced MSA (Merced 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
- $49,607per yearMerced MSA: $45,990
- Projected openings
- 356,700Merced MSA: 1,430
- Projected change
- -4.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
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 program provides in-person instruction only.
Students learn business skills, business procedures in offices, computer operations, keyboarding/ten key, math, English, business computer operations.
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
EDD Merced WSB / Merced County WorknetComprehensive center
Phone: 209-726-5407 EDD Merced WSB / 877-267-9675 Merced County Worknet
1205 West 18th StreetMerced, CA 95340about 8.9 miles away
Hours: Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; First Thursday of every month 8:00 am - 7:00 pm.
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 →