Career-Ready Training for Out-of-School Youth
AVTECH serves out-of-school youth (OSY) ages 16–24 in the Antelope Valley, prioritizing young people experiencing foster care involvement, homelessness/housing instability, CalWORKs participation, and other significant barriers. Our education-first model connects training to industry credentials, postsecondary transition, and paid work experience (WEX) aligned with AJCC Youth.
Programs are designed to align with WIOA Title I Youth and are coordinated with AJCC Youth counselors for eligibility and case management.
Google IT Support Certificate — AVTECH OSY Cohort
The Google IT Support Professional Certificate delivered through AVTECH prepares learners for entry-level help desk and IT support roles. We combine Google’s coursework with AVTECH’s hands-on labs, mentoring, and job/college readiness so graduates are prepared for next steps — including transition to Antelope Valley College and AJCC Youth-supported work experience.
What You’ll Learn
- Technical Support Fundamentals
- Networking — The Bits & Bytes
- Operating Systems
- System Administration
- IT Security
How It Works
- Sequence: Google Fundamentals → full Google IT Support Certificate (5 courses)
- Schedule: 16 weeks • 3 in-person days/week • 3 hours/day • ~6 hours independent
- Guide model: 2 AVTECH Guides lead labs, simulations, study halls, and weekly progress checks
- College on-ramp: applications, FAFSA/CADAA labs, counseling/orientation support
- Device/connectivity support as available
Where It Leads
- Entry roles: IT Support, Help Desk, Desktop Tech
- Postsecondary pathway: transition support for AVC and aligned institutions
- AJCC Youth connection: referrals, supportive services, and paid work experience (WEX) coordination
Weekly Plan — Model B (Preview)
Three in-person days per week at 3 hours each, plus ~6 hours of guided independent work.
| Week | In-Class (3 × 3h = 9h) | Independent (~6h) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orientation • IT roles • Hardware intro • Coursera setup | Course 1 videos & quiz • Syllabus acknowledgment |
| 2 | PC components lab • Assembly/disassembly • Ports & cables | Hardware modules • Reflection |
| 3 | OS installs (Windows/Linux) • File systems • Users/permissions | Permissions lab • Updates/config |
| 4 | Networking basics • IP/DNS/DHCP • Cabling • Troubleshooting drills | CLI checks • Ping/Traceroute • Quiz |
| 5 | OSI/TCP-IP • Ports/services • Packet flow walk-through | Wireshark capture task • Quiz |
| 6 | Router/switch/firewall demo • Troubleshooting playbook | DNS/DHCP scenario lab • Quiz |
| 7 | Linux CLI • Navigation • Permissions • Intro shell script | Bash practice • Script submission |
| 8 | SysAdmin • Users & groups • Cron/logs • SSH/RDP | Monitoring/logs mini-lab • Quiz |
| 9 | OS maintenance • Diagnostics • Ticket simulations | Case labs • Ticket write-ups |
| 10 | Servers & infra • File/print server • AD/DNS/DHCP roles | Server role simulation • Worksheet • Quiz |
| 11 | Cloud computing • VMs • Containers • Snapshots | Cloud VM lab • Containers basics • Quiz |
| 12 | Backup & recovery • Imaging • BCP tabletop | Backup plan template • Restore walkthrough • Quiz |
| 13 | Security fundamentals • Auth • Encryption • VPN • Phishing lab | Security modules • SOC basics micro-lab • Quiz |
| 14 | Incident response • Logs • Triage • Escalation • Policy writing | IR policy draft • Log-review task • Quiz |
| 15 | Capstone prep • Mock help desk • Resume/LinkedIn build | Finish modules • Portfolio checklist |
| 16 | Capstone presentations • Completion review • Next-step planning | Final Coursera submissions • Exit survey |
How Instruction Works
Course content is delivered on Coursera by Google Career Certificates. AVTECH Guides provide facilitated cohort support, in-person labs, study halls, and weekly progress check-ins to keep learners on pace.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Google Career Certificates (Coursera): Video lessons, auto-graded quizzes, and labs.
- AVTECH Guides: In-person support, group labs, progress tracking, mentoring.
- Learners: Complete Coursera modules and labs, attend in-person sessions, submit weekly proofs.
Instruction Credit
Instructional content is provided by Google Career Certificates via Coursera. AVTECH integrates this coursework into a guided, hands-on classroom format to support completion.
ACE College Credit
- ACE ID: GOOG-0001
- Credit Recommendation: up to 15 semester hours
- Validity Window: current recommendation period through Sept 30, 2028
- AVC Pathway: Credits considered via ACE transcript and registrar evaluation
Each college decides how ACE-recommended credit applies toward degrees/certificates.
Career Targets (O*NET)
| Code | Title | 10-Year Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| 15-1232.00 | Computer User Support Specialists | ≈ −4% growth, strong replacement openings |
| 15-1231.00 | Computer Network Support Specialists | +1–2% growth |
| 15-1212.00 | Information Security Analysts | +29% growth (next-step pathway) |
Help desk may be flat/declining, but it remains a launchpad into higher-growth roles in networking and security.
Employer Network
- Google Career Certificates Employer Consortium: large multi-employer network
- Examples with LA/AV presence: T-Mobile, Wells Fargo, Siemens, Google
- AJCC Youth connection: referrals and paid work experience (WEX) coordination
AVTECH coordinates with AJCC Youth to connect OSY participants to work experience and next-step opportunities.
Google and Google Career Certificates are trademarks of Google LLC. Partnerships with AVC and AJCC are in development and follow standard partner processes.