Jan Borunda is project coordinator with the California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development program.
and Kelly Greer
On Friday, August 24th, the California Labor Federation was awarded more than half a million dollars for a pilot project to begin funding apprentice training programs across California. The new project will train workers for new high-road green jobs, and it will also help participating unions maintain and develop more of those quality jobs.
This is the 3rd CLF construction trades project funded by the California Employment Training Panel (ETP). Unlike the previous ETP programs, the focus of the current program is support for the smaller Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) centers located in communities throughout the state
is to transform California’s fuel and vehicle types to meet the state’s climate change policies. The evolution to a low-carbon transportation economy requires a well-trained workforce to produce and distribute new alternative fuels and design, construct, install, operate, service, and maintain new fueling infrastructure and vehicles.
In late January, the Employment Training Panel (ETP) awarded $1.2 million in funding for just this type of training — and almost $1 million of that $1.2 million was awarded to the California Labor Federation to support joint labor-management training programs in public transit. The funding will provide advanced technology training for about 900 bus and rail technicians and mechanics working with energy efficient and green transportation vehicles and equipment.
