Watch: Central Valley Training Center Celebrates 2022 Graduates

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor, Railway Age
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The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Dec. 9 celebrated the seventh cohort in the labor industry to complete the Central Valley Training Center’s 12-week pre-apprenticeship program in Selma, Calif.

According to CHSRA, the no-cost pre-apprenticeship program, which provides hands-on construction industry training for people looking to work on the nation’s first high-speed rail project, is aimed at serving veterans, at-risk young adults, minority and low-income populations in the Central Valley.

Since in launching in 2020, 109 students have graduated from the program with more than 1,000 inquiring. After graduation, the Central Valley Training Center, which is a project of CHSRA in partnership with Fresno, Madera, Kings, Tulane Building Trades Council, Fresno Economic Development Corporation, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission and the City of Selma, assists with job placement, including coordination with the high-speed rail project and its contractors.

According to the Authority, CHSRA has two federal grant applications pending, a portion of which will continue to support the training center. This month, CHSRA applied for $235 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) funds and in October, CHSRA applied for $67 million from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) FY22 Railroad Crossing Elimination Program.

California’s high-speed rail project is currently under construction on more than 119 miles with more than 30 active construction sites in the Central Valley. According to CHRSA, nearly 9,800 construction jobs have been created on the project to date.

The video below show’s highlights from the graduation.

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