Academic calendar
Academic Year 2025-2026 runs Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Academic Year 2025-2026Relevant now
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 23 of 23 terms
B
- Betteravia
- The nearby main thoroughfare (Betteravia Road) where students go for fast food during lunch breaks.
- BOT
- Business Office Technology; the program and student cohort for administrative and office skills.
C
- CET
- Center for Employment Training, the name of the institution used by students and staff.
- Check-off
- The formal process where an instructor verifies a student has mastered a specific competency or skill
- Clocking in
- The mandatory process of scanning a student ID at the kiosk to track required training hours.
- Competencies
- The specific task-based skills students must demonstrate and 'check off' to progress through their program.
- Competency
- A specific skill or module that a student must master and 'sign off' on to progress in their program.
- Competency-based
- The educational model used where students move forward by proving they can do a task, not by taking a written test.
E
- EDD
- The Employment Development Department, frequently referenced regarding student benefits and job searches.
F
- FAFSA
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is the primary way students fund their vocational training at this campus.
H
- HI
- Health Information Technology program
- HVAC
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning program
J
- Job Developer
- The staff member students work with closely for resume building and interview prep.
M
- MA
- Medical Assistant program, the largest healthcare track at the center
O
- OJT
- On-the-Job Training; refers to the practical work experience portion of the vocational curriculum.
P
- Placement
- The final stage of the program focused on securing a job in the student's field of study
S
- SkillsUSA
- The national organization for students in trade and industrial occupations that CET students participate in.
T
- The Breakroom
- The designated indoor area for student meals and vending machines, as there is no formal cafeteria.
- The Floor
- The active training area where students practice trades, as opposed to the classroom area.
- The Shop
- A general term used by students in technical trades (Welding, HVAC) to refer to their primary training area.
- The Truck
- Refers to local mobile food vendors that occasionally park near the Morrison Avenue site.
W
- WIOA
- The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, often used by students to refer to the government program funding their tuition.
- WLD
- Welding Fabrication program
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 30-hour week
- The standard full-time schedule required for most CET programs, designed to simulate a full-time job.
- Clock Hours
- The requirement to be physically present for a specific number of hours to meet graduation and financial aid requirements.
- Competency-based
- The grading philosophy where students progress by proving skills rather than just sitting through lectures
- FA
- The Financial Aid office, where students manage Pell Grants and tuition payments.
- I-9
- Commonly used shorthand for the employment eligibility verification process required before starting OJT.
- I-9/ID
- The documentation required during the 'Job Prep' phase to ensure students are ready for immediate hire upon graduation.
- Job Developer
- The staff member students are required to meet with for resume building and job placement services.
- Job Placement
- The specialized department on-site that assists students with resumes and interviews before they graduate.
- Morrison
- Common shorthand for the campus location based on its street address
- Morrison Campus
- The primary facility located at 509 West Morrison Avenue, housing all training programs.
- Open Enrollment
- The 'start anytime' policy that allows students to begin programs throughout the year instead of on a semester schedule
- Pell Grant
- The primary form of financial aid used by CET students which does not require repayment.
- Placement
- The final phase of the program focused entirely on securing a job in the student's field of study.
- Scrubs
- The required daily uniform for students in the Medical Assistant and Health Information tracks
- SMAT
- Santa Maria Area Transit; the local bus system students use to commute to the Morrison Avenue campus.
- The Badge
- The student ID card used for building access and clocking into the attendance system.
- The Center
- The common name for the entire CET Santa Maria facility located on West Morrison Avenue.
- The HVAC Lab
- The hands-on training area for students in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning program.
- The Kiosk
- The electronic time-tracking station where students must log their daily attendance hours.
- The Lab
- The classroom area specifically designated for Medical Assistant and computer-based training.
- The Medical Lab
- The classroom and practical area used by Medical Assistant and Medical Records students.
- The Shop
- The large, open technical training floor where Welding and HVAC students perform hands-on work.
- The TABE
- The Test of Adult Basic Education, often used for initial assessment and placement
- The Time Card
- The essential document or digital record used to track the hours required for program completion and financial aid eligibility.
- The Welding Shop
- The specific area of the building dedicated to the Welding Fabrication technology program.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Academic Year 2025-2026 runs Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 23 approved campus terms and 25 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.