Fresno City College establishes Pathways to Apprenticeship Initiative

Apr 30, 2018 —

On Tuesday, May 1st at 2:00 p.m. in the FCC Staff Dining Room, a historic agreement will be signed that will establish a joint partnership for the training of community college students in the Building Trades Council apprenticeships. The ten-year agreement will provide the needed levels of trained individuals for the local workforce and provide support to Fresno City College students not accepted into a Union apprenticeship program.

The purpose of the Initiative is to provide a clear pathway to apprenticeship education and skills training for community college students whose post-secondary education begins at the community college level and is completed with Union apprenticeship programming. This Partnership will establish FCC as a feeder to the Building Trades Council’s Apprenticeship Training Programs. The program is expected to start during the 2018 fall semester this August.

“I am happy that our college faculty members in the Applied Technology Division worked with the Union Trades leadership to reach this milestone agreement,” said Dr. Carole Goldsmith, Fresno City College President. “This is a historic partnership for our college and I appreciate all the time and effort that was invested to ensure that future generations of skilled workers will have access to better paying jobs in the Central Valley,” Goldsmith said.

This inaugural model involves establishing an articulation agreement and entry guidelines between the college and the Building Trades Council apprenticeship programs in order to facilitate admission and development of this special partnership between the FCC and the Trades.

The Pathways to Apprenticeship Initiative include the following parties:

Fresno City College (FCC)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union No. 100
Plumbers, Pipe and Refrigeration Fitters U.A.L.U. 246
Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 104 District 2
Ironworkers Local 155

Pathways to Apprenticeship Initiative Parties have been working together for the past year and now will be formalizing their understanding and agreement regarding their participation in the Fresno City College Pathways to Apprenticeship Initiative established under the auspices of Career Technical Education (CTE) defined by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the Workforce & Economic Development Department (WEDD) and in support of Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy college education and Union apprenticeship training partnerships.

Students from FCC will be provided additional support, access, and information about the apprenticeship process and targeted outreach and recruitment will occur if the students achieve specific criteria such as successfully completing certain community college courses that are based on Union Apprenticeship Safety and Technical Skills readiness factors. Support for the Students, including safety and technical skills training, pre-employment training, and career counseling will be developed as part of the Initiative in order to provide Students with the best possible chance for success on the Union Entrance Exams and Interviews throughout the Apprenticeship Admission process.