A school district has become the first in North County to receive a pre-apprenticeship designation for their construction pathway, allowing students to “earn while they learn.”
The California Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards gave the go-ahead to the San Marcos Unified School District for the construction track, part of the district’s Career Technical Education program.
This means “that students looking for high-paying jobs in the construction field will be able to take appropriate coursework while in high school and simultaneously earn 180 hours of experience in a trade,” said Nicole DiRanna, the district director of K-12 Equitable Curriculum and Instruction.
“Many of the students in our construction courses are looking for apprenticeship programs when they graduate; this allows them to get a jump start on their career goals,” DiRanna added.
Such state pre-apprenticeship programs prepare individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship programs, according to the district.
Beginning this fall, San Marcos High School will begin offering the registered pre-apprenticeship program with the Associated General Contractors of San Diego, allowing students to log hours of experience before formal acceptance into the AGC Apprenticeship program upon graduation.
“Prior to this, our construction program had built and maintained a strong working relationship with AGC,” DiRanna said. “This is the next natural step in the evolution of our partnership with them.”
Students who become pre-apprentices will receive free pairs of work boots and tool belts, but upon graduation will be eligible to earn a living as full-time apprentices. The local construction industry has a mean hourly wage of $32.49, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even before they can take advantage of the new pathway, the students are hard at work. The construction program at San Marcos High currently has students building an ADU, or tiny house.
“Engaging coursework and partnerships like these not only help our students become ready for the next step after high school, or as we call (it) Future Ready, but they also create a pipeline in areas of our local economy that need this skilled workforce,” says Dr. Andy Johnsen, the district’s superintendent.