CHSRA Recognizes Central Valley Training Center Pre-Apprenticeship Program Cohort
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
CHSRA’s Central Valley Training Center Pre-Apprenticeship Program cohort.
Courtesy of CHSRA
SELMA, Calif. - California High-Speed Rail Authority recognized more than a dozen students that completed the Central Valley Training Center pre-apprenticeship program.
According to the release, 235 students have already completed this program. The program was established in 2020, and it has “promoted 15 cohorts since its inception.” In the last 12 weeks, students worked with professionals to learn about the trades and have subsequently gained “construction-related certifications to take into the field.” The Authority spoke to two such students who graduated from the program.
Alan Lara previously worked in jobs that involved packing houses to poultry plants. Lara told the Authority that he “always wanted to be a blue-collar worker. I like working with my hands and building stuff. This program helped me learn about the trades, how to work on a team, be disciplined and determined. With the certificates I earned and new skills I developed, I am excited to enter the workforce and start my career.”
Abundio Ayala applied to the program after enrolling his daughter in school. Ayala said “My family, my daughters, inspire me to jump start my career in construction and provide a better life for them. I feel prepared to start applying for jobs because of the skills I learned. My advice to the next cohort is to finish the program. The doors will open when you graduate, but you must put in the time and effort. Anything is possible.”
Central Valley Regional Director Garth Fernandez said, “Our goal is to provide each of these students an opportunity to build a successful career in the construction industry and be a part of constructing the first fully electric high-speed rail in the nation. The Central Valley is already reaping the benefits of the high-speed rail project as we have created more than 14,000 good paying construction jobs since we broke ground. That number will continue to grow in the years to come.”
The Authority is currently focusing on the California High-Speed Rail project with 171 miles under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield. It has “full environmental clearance on 463 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to downtown Los Angeles.”
