STOCKTON, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
The Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship
Standards (DIR/DAS), today kicks off California Apprenticeship
Month--which begins officially Oct. 1--by featuring a career fair for
over 600 Stockton area high school students to explore career
opportunities in construction trades.
"High school students need to have options that will spark their
interest and motivate them to seek career opportunities following
graduation," said DIR Director John Duncan. "Not every student is
seeking a college education, and that's not the only path to a
rewarding career."
The 4th annual Construction Trades Career Fair-Apprenticeship
Pathway was designed to provide area high school juniors and seniors
with information about construction careers and enable them to explore
options for successful employment after high school.
The fair presented discussions of apprenticeship models for
entering careers in the construction trades. The discussions expressed
the importance of skill sets needed for specific trades and the course
work that will prepare students for success.
"Apprenticeship programs lead to excellent career opportunities
for graduating high school seniors," said DIR Director John Duncan.
"Opportunities for lucrative and rewarding careers already exist here
in California, and as we begin to rebuild our infrastructure with
voter-approved bond money, those opportunities will become even more
abundant."
Students from at least 15 local and surrounding area high schools
attended the career fair, showcasing over a dozen construction trades,
including bricklayers, carpenters, cement masons, drywall/lathing,
electrical and iron workers, laborers, millwrights, operating
engineers, pile drivers, plasterers, plumbers and pipe fitters,
roofers and waterproofers, sheet metal workers, tile finishers, and
tile, terrazzo and marble setters. Journey workers and apprentices
representing each trade were available to meet with students to
discuss their experience.
The event was organized and funded by the San Joaquin Area
Apprenticeship Coordinators Association. The association is made up of
over 17 construction and related trades apprenticeship programs
serving the greater San Joaquin area. The fair highlighted over 15
construction trades.
Through apprenticeship programs, employees "earn while they
learn." This time-honored method provides apprentices with paid
on-the-job-training and formal classroom instruction over a period of
years to mentor and nurture craftsmanship that will last a lifetime.
Apprentices are in demand, since California law requires the
employment of one hour of apprentice work for every five hours of
journeymen work on all public works projects. In addition, a major
labor shortage is projected in many of the building trades due to
retirement of highly-skilled baby boomers. An estimated 200,000 new
apprentices will be needed over the next 10-12 years.
Established within DIR in 1945, DAS enforces California labor law
in apprenticeship programs to protect their integrity. DAS also
fosters, promotes and develops employment-based apprenticeship
training programs correlated with related and supplemental instruction
classes that are provided by local education agencies.
Visit the DAS web site at www.ibuiltit.org for more information on
both the apprentice and the employer sponsor programs.
For DIR/DAS
Erika Monterroza or Dean Fryer, 415-703-5050
Copyright Business Wire 2008
