1. Apprenticeship Standards
APPRENTICESHIP

DAS Announces $13 Million in Available Funding to Foster Career Pathways for Women in Construction

Vanessa Soto
Innovative Apprenticeship Outreach and Education Analyst
Female constrction worker.

Building equity in the construction industry is a national movement, and California is leading the way. The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) unveiled the solicitation for proposals for the second round of the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship (ERiCA) grant on January 13, 2025. Nationally, only 3 to 4 percent of the building trades’ workforce are women or non-binary individuals. To close the equity gap in the trades, the second round of the ERiCA grant seeks to continue to strengthen the foundation for a statewide system where women, non-binary individuals and underrepresented populations feel empowered and supported to enter and grow in construction career pathways by providing 3 categories of funding:

  • Recruitment: Expanding recruitment efforts to be more inclusive of women, non-binary individuals and underserved populations to better facilitate their entry into construction careers, 
  • Childcare: Supportive resources for childcare and,
  • Worksite culture: mentoring and mental health supports for apprentices and pre-apprentices and training for all on construction worksite to better navigate the worksite interactions.

Who Should Apply:

All CA registered building and construction pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program sponsors and their partners who have a history of removing barriers to access and fostering equity in the construction industry, while also closing workforce talent gaps, should apply.

How to Apply:

  • For more information, review the detailed solicitation for proposal guidelines and eligibility on the DAS ERiCA webpage.
  • Proposals and all required attachments in the designated formats must be submitted by March 12, 2025, 12:00 pm PST

Questions?

  • All questions must be emailed to DASGrantUnit@dir.ca.gov by January 31st at 1:00pm.
  • Join DAS on February 13, 2025, at 2:00 pm PST for an informational webinar where submitted questions will be addressed. Register here.

January 2025