The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) recognized 17 students for completing the Central Valley Training Center pre-apprenticeship program in the city of Selma, Calif. To date, 223 students have completed the program.
The Central Valley Training Center is a 12-week construction course for students eager to work on the high-speed rail project. CHSRA notes previous students have moved on to work for subcontractors or have been sponsored into the trades in hopes of working on the project in the future.
Visalia resident Janelle Tumacder was one of two student speakers to tell her story and experience at the training center. Before enrolling, Tumacder was a meat cutter at a local grocery store. A visit to a union hall allowed her to talk with another female trades worker who encouraged her to sign up for the program.
“I’m excited and motivated now to find a career in the trades,” Tumacder said. “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.”
Carlos Gonzales of Kingsburg heard about the program at a pivotal moment in his life. Gonzales, a fitness instructor for five years, wanted to learn and grow in a new trades career.
“My motivation to enter this program is to find a job, a career that I can see myself advancing in,” Gonzales said. “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.”
“The Central Valley is already seeing the benefits of the project with the more than 14,000 jobs created since we began the project,” said CHSRA Board Member Henry Perea. “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.”
