State Hopes to Keep Jobs in California with Training Funds

The State of California’s Employment Training Panel (ETP) approved 16 contracts, for approximately $7.4M in job training funds last week. Additionally, since the last Panel meeting on June 22, Panel Chair, Barry Broad and Executive Director, Brian McMahon have approved more than $1.8 to help fund training for 32 small business and small-scope projects under $100,000. The majority of training proposals heard today represent priority industries as defined in ETP’s Strategic Plan, including Clean/Green Technology and Construction.
As resource conservation and energy efficiency goals shape the way California does business, recent legislation and market demand have resulted in industries that are continuously evolving to meet the needs of a cleaner, greener state. This shift can clearly be seen in the construction industry where administrative policy, along with changes in building codes, have resulted in an increase in demand for specialized green building skills for workers at all levels of the building trades.
In order to meet the demand for jobs in commercial and industrial construction, public infrastructure projects, and “green” construction, the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (CalFED) has designed a statewide “Building Green Skills” training program, which incorporates ancillary trade-specific, green skills training designed to upgrade the skills of workers in various construction trades. Coordinated by the CalFED Workforce and Economic Development program, the ”Building Green Skills” training program will support Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATC) to deliver training to workers in urban areas throughout the state. According to CalFED, the focus on apprenticeship will help the California construction industry recover from the recent economic downturn which resulted in the loss of approximately 20 percent of the skilled construction workforce.
Through its contract with ETP, CalFED has committed to train over 300 California construction trade workers, from apprentice to journey level, many of whom are employed by small businesses throughout the state. This project is funded under ETP’s Apprenticeship Training Pilot Program, which was implemented in March of this year. In accordance with ETP’s Apprenticeship Program, all funding will be through Multiple Employer Contracts, and each JATC or other program sponsor must be registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards. The Program is focused on trainees who have advanced to Year 2+ in the apprenticeship program. Under the Apprenticeship Pilot Program, ETP will fund up to 144 hours of RSI.
ETP is a business and labor supported state agency that assists employers in strengthening their competitive edge in the economy by providing funds to partially off-set the costs of necessary job skills training. California’s ETP is a performance-based program, providing funds for trainees who successfully complete training and are retained in good-paying jobs at a required minimum wage, for at least 90 days. -2-
The program, funded by the Employment Training Tax paid by California employers, helps businesses threatened by out-of-state and international competition. The Panel also serves employers under its Special Employment Training Program and funds projects designed to improve skills and employment security of frontline workers in projects that do not meet standard employer/trainee eligibility requirements. Since its inception in 1983, the ETP program has provided close to $1.25 billion to train approximately 800,000 workers for more than 78,000 California companies. Employers match training funds awarded by ETP, making these projects true public-private partnerships. For more information about the program, please visit www.etp.ca.gov, or call 916-327-5368.

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