Alameda County Santa Rita jail inmates engage in hands-on learning as part of the preapprenticeship program by the Laborers Training & Retraining Trust Fund for Northern California.


fications for the multiple different trade skills they have mastered. Teir union initiation and first three months of union fees are paid for, and each participant receives basic equipment and a tool belt, all courtesy of the grant funded program. Alameda County’s success in securing an initial grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, combined with outreach from Laborers Local 304 Business Manager Fernando Estrada to the County about four years ago to discuss bringing a pre- apprenticeship program to the jail, helped set talks in motion that led to its eventual approval by the county board of supervi- sors. Te overarching objective: to provide incarcerated individuals, specifically those who were deemed a good fit and who are at the short end of their sentences, with the opportunity to get trained for well-paying jobs in the construction industry that can provide them with a living wage once they are released.


Support from the Top The strong backing and support from Alameda County leaders as well as from the Santa Rita jail warden and other lead- ership there has been a critical factor in


“Our programs are committed to empowering under-served populations while helping to guide individuals with stable career-track jobs, as well as building bridges between community members and employers. Above all, we want to foster self-sufficiency and help our members and trainees get the skills they need to succeed in life.”


– Leonard Gonzales, executive director, Laborers Training & Retraining Trust Fund for Northern California


the program’s success. “Santa Rita jail has a really good sup-


port team and leadership team, including the correctional officers that specifically work on identifying the inmates who are most suited to this program,” Gonzales


noted. “Tey also provide a lot of wrap- around services internally to help ensure that success continues, even as individ- uals transition out of jail and back into their respective communities.” Although it is currently only available


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026


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