CHSRA Celebrates 11th Cohort Completing Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program

Courtesy of CHSRA

SELMA, Calif. – CHSRA recognizes 25 students from the 11th cohort of the Central Valley Training Center’s 12-week pre-apprenticeship training program.

California High-Speed Rail Authority recognizes 25 students from the Central Valley Training Center’s pre-apprenticeship program. The 12-week program began in 2020 and seeks to help “veterans, at-risk adults, minority, and low-income populations in the Central Valley.” During the program, students learn about more than 10 construction trades and receive construction industry training. They graduate with over a “dozen industry-specific certifications and are provided with job placement assistance for a year after graduation.”

Executive Director for the Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings Building Trades Council, Chuck Riojas, said: “These men and women who come through the program have the opportunity to earn excellent pay upon entry into the apprenticeship of their choice. . . As the high-speed rail program advances, the need for a trained workforce will continue to grow, which means good-paying construction jobs for the men and women of the Central Valley.”

Over the past year, CHSRA completed 10 structures along 119 miles of construction. Additionally, 422 of the 500-mile project has been environmentally cleared. In spring 2023, the CHSRA marked a milestone of more than 10,000 jobs created and entered into an agreement with 13 rail labor unions in the fall.