Apprenticeship e-News

Say the word "construction" and it's highly likely that your mind conjures images of steel, heavy equipment, caution signs and men in hard hats ... Read More

Four years ago, Governor Gavin Newsom laid out his administration’s ambitious goal to expand California’s apprenticeship system to serve 500,000 apprentices by 2029. ... Read More

Carl Cimino was raised in construction. He spent many -days and evenings helping his father with remodel projects, and later working for him on housing tracts from Pleasanton to Half Moon Bay. ... Read More

At 16, Sergio Cortez struggled with addiction. He joined in the Coast Guard when he was 17, but his ongoing battle led to incarceration after serving. ... Read More

When my ability to work as a nanny was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working a string of odd jobs, ranging from patient transport, to grocery store clerk, to serving at a local restaurant. ... Read More

I was made aware of the apprenticeship program through a wonderful woman named Denise, who’d directed me to visit the website and fill out the application. ... Read More

The Apprenticeship Hall of Fame was established in 1981 by the California Apprenticeship Council to recognize those who have made significant contributions to apprenticeship in California. ... Read More

The Santa Clara County Construction Careers Association, known as S4CA, was founded in a quest for collaboration. S4CA is a partnership of construction industry organizations, educational institutions and community agencies that promote the construction industry and apprenticeship as a viable career alternative. ... Read More

On March 3, DAS Chief Eric Rood joined Labor Secretary Natalie Palugyai, Deputy Labor Secretary Abby Snay, Department of Industrial Relations’ Director Katie S. Hagen and DIR Chief Deputy Deanna Ping on a tour of the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity’s Opportunity Build in ... Read More

The Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) are hosting a new webinar series, “Inclusive 21st Century Apprenticeships,” which will highlight innovative apprenticeship programs and initiatives ... Read More

At construction job sites across the country, women only make up one of every 100 workers. Lindsay Fitzgerald, a third-year apprentice with ABC Northern California ... Read More

The California Conference on Apprenticeship (CCA) will take place for the first time in 4 years, May 3-6, 2022 in Monterey. This event is an opportunity for the entire apprenticeship community to gather, share best practices and get inspired ... Read More

The last couple of years have been challenging for all of us, including in the apprenticeship community. Our apprenticeship programs and our apprentices have fought through the COVID-19 pandemic with perseverance and hard work. I’ve seen creativity and resilience in programs, as they pivot and continue to provide quality training ... Read More

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Operation and Maintenance Apprenticeship Program began in 1971. When the program first began in the ’70s, DWR started with six hydroelectric plant operator apprentices in a one-room classroom in Bakersfield. Today, much of DWR’s workforce consists of apprentice graduates ... Read More

John and Mercedes Hong, directors of Fontana-based The Spot Apprentice Academy, dreamed of helping individuals turn their passion for barbering and cosmetology into reality. That reality came true with the help of the Los Angeles Unified School District and DAS ... Read More

Joseph Peterson, a fifth year ABC Northern California (ABC NorCal) apprentice, has been awarded the prestigious Southwire 2021 Top Gun Apprentice. The recipient of the award is selected by Southwire Company based on who received the highest scores throughout the apprenticeship program ... Read More

It took quite a while for the Ironworkers to welcome women into their ranks. The first known women Ironworker, Kelly Mann, was from Local 751 Alaska. She started working Iron in 1975. Fast forward to today. Ironworkers Local 229 has many female journey workers and apprentices, as do most of the other locals... Read More

My name is Joseph Aragon III, and I’m a United States Army veteran and third-year Commercial Electrical Apprentice with WECA Member Contractor Reyff Electric Company. Before becoming a commercial electrical apprentice, I served as a 63B-wheeled vehicle mechanic in Afghanistan and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord just outside of Tacoma, Washington ... Read More