PHOTO RELEASE: High-Speed Rail Recognizes 10th Cohort to Complete Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program

October 6, 2023

SELMA, Calif. -The California High-Speed Rail Authority today recognized 17 students who completed the Central Valley Training Center’s 12-week pre-apprenticeship program located in the city of Selma. Since the start of the training center in 2020, 151 students have graduated, with more than 1,000 inquiring about the program.

The pre-apprenticeship training program is aimed at serving veterans, at-risk young adults, minority, and low-income populations in the Central Valley. The no-cost program provides hands-on construction industry training for those looking to work on the nation’s first high-speed rail project.

The most recent cohort at their graduation. Click for a larger image

“We’re proud to continue to put these hardworking men and women to work by providing them with the training and experience they need to help build the next generation of California’s transportation infrastructure,” said Garth Fernandez, Central Valley Regional Director. “As our project continues to move forward, the need for a skilled workforce will grow. Whether they leave this program wanting to be a carpenter, ironworker, laborer, or operator, we welcome any craftsman who is ready to help bring high-speed rail to California.”

At the Central Valley Training Center, students are exposed to more than 10 different construction trades and exit the program with more than a dozen industry specific certifications. Graduates receive job placement assistance, including coordination with the high-speed rail project and its contractors.

The Central Valley Training Center is a project of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in partnership with the city of Selma, Fresno Economic Development Corporation, the Fresno, Madera, Kings, Tulare Building Trades Council, and the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission.

The Authority has begun advanced design work to extend the 119 miles under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. The high-speed rail project has created more than 11,000 good-paying jobs since the start of construction, 70% of those going to Central Valley residents, and there are more than 25 active construction sites. The Authority has also environmentally cleared 422 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to the Los Angeles Basin.

Visit www.buildhsr.com for the latest construction information.

To learn more about the Central Valley Training Center, visit: https://cvtcprogram.com/

The following link contains the above as well as other recent videos, animations, photography, press center resources, and latest renderings: https://hsra.app.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8

These files are all available for free use, courtesy of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.