CHSRA Recognizes Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program’s 14th Cohort
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship program’s 14th cohort.
Courtesy of CHSRA
FRESNO, Calif. - The California High-Speed Rail Authority recognized its 14th cohort for the Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program.
Comprised of 17 students, the 14th cohort completed the program in Selma. Over the course of 12 weeks, students completed a construction course at the Central Valley Training Center. To date, 223 students have completed the program, and some of those students are now working for subcontractors or “have been sponsored into the trades in hopes of working on the [high-speed rail] project in the future.”
Janelle Tumacder is a student speaker and gave a testimony on her experience in the program. She expressed her excitement and motivation “now to find a career in the trades. . . I want to become a carpenter and work for the high-speed rail. Carpentry is hands-on and is what I’ve always been into. Hard work is what I am made to do.”
Another student, Carlos Gonzales, said, “My motivation to enter this program is to find job, a career, that I can see myself advancing in. . . I don’t know where I will end up or what trade I’ll be in, but I know I’ll be doing something where there is growth. This program showed me the different opportunities the trades have to offer.”
Authority board member Henry Perea said, “The Central Valley is already seeing the benefits of the project with the more than 14,000 jobs created since we began the project. The Central Valley Training Center is providing a unique opportunity for individuals to get into the trades. We hope to replicate its model and curriculum as construction advances across the state.”
