FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michele Daugherty, President and CEO, 925-960-8519, michele@abcnorcal.org

National Apprenticeship Week Celebrated in Northern California
ABC Northern California Chapter joins U.S. Department of Labor to highlight apprenticeship programs

LIVERMORE, Calif., November 14, 2018 — Students from Del Valle High School in Livermore, CA will visit the Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California Chapter (ABC NorCal) training facility, tomorrow, November 15, to get an overview of life as an apprentice. To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, students will be trained by ABC NorCal instructors and be encouraged to look at alternative options for education outside of college to put them on a path for a career in the trades.

Several associations and companies across the nation are joining the United States Department of Labor throughout the week to highlight the benefits of apprenticeship programs in preparing a highly-skilled workforce to meet the needs of employers across diverse industries. The building and construction trades currently face a 1.5-million-person shortage in their industry and rely
heavily on apprenticeship programs to fill those positions with excellence, quality and safety trained individuals.

“We believe the leaders of tomorrow’s industry are in the apprenticeship programs today,” said Michele Daugherty, President and CEO of ABC NorCal. “With such a large shortage of personnel in our industry, it is vital to seek out individuals that are not only passionate and understand the trades but are willing to work to provide quality and safe services.”

ABC NorCal is a sponsor of five state and federally approved apprenticeship programs in the carpentry, construction craft laborer, electrical, painting and plumbing trades. Apprenticeships provide paid learning and training opportunities to teach the necessary job skills for each trade.

Along with ABC NorCal’s apprenticeship programs, its National Chapter provides scholarship opportunities to 10 apprentices across the nation through its “Build Your Future Scholarship.”
Three of the 2018 recipients of this $2,000 scholarship were awarded to Northern California apprentices: Plumbers-Jason Atkison and Eric Celaya with JT2, Inc., and Electrician-Matthew Vincent with Helix Electric, Inc.

The U.S. Department of Labor calls the National Apprenticeship Week (NAW)  a national celebration that offers leaders in business, labor, education, and other critical partners a chance to demonstrate their support for apprenticeship.

For more about ABC NorCal’s available apprenticeship programs,  go to ABCNorCal.org/Education-Training/Apprenticeship.

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Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association representing more 21,000 construction and industry-related firms nationwide. Based on the merit shop philosophy, we help our members develop people, win work and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work.