Participants in a Monterey County Workforce Board pre-apprenticeship training program, delivered in partnership with the Laborers / LIUNA, tackle a variety of projects.


such initiative spearheaded by the La- borers organization, however.


Award Winning Training Throughout NorCal Over nearly two decades, the Laborers Training & Retraining Trust Fund for Northern California — which serves as the training arm for all 46 Northern Cali- fornia counties and is part of LIUNA, the Laborers’ International Union of North America — has made it their mission to provide opportunities for individuals from all walks of life to find pathways into well-paying jobs in construction. Tey currently have over 20 preap-


prenticeship programs throughout the Northern California region, operating in jails, nonprofits, schools and other venues. In 2024, they trained nearly 740 individuals in pre-apprenticeship pro- grams throughout the region, and had over 4,000 active apprentices training at their main Northern California Laborers’ Training Center in San Ramon. “When I came on board about 16


years ago, our business manager, Oscar De La Torre, expressed his strong interest


in developing pathways not just into our organization but into the industry, cre- ating opportunities for the underserved and underrepresented individuals to have access and exposure to what we do as union construction trades,” Gonzales said. One of the Laborers first Career Tech-


nical Education (CTE) programs was set up in partnership with the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) approximately 15 years ago, operating in Solano County Jail as well as at Folsom Prison and subsequently the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. According to the CALPIA website, the


program was the “first of its kind in the nation to partner an incarcerated indi- vidual rehabilitation program with trade unions, non-profit organizations, public entities, and private companies to meet the rehabilitative needs of incarcerated individuals.” The CALPIA website said the CTE


program “is one of the most effective correctional rehabilitation programs in California. By three years after release, only 9.5 % of CALPIA CTE participants had been returned to custody.”


Te Laborers have received recogni- tion for several of their training initiatives over the years, including receiving the Hoffman Award from Santa Clara County Office of Education in 2022 for their CTE program at Blue Ranch. Additionally, Laborers instructor Ricardo Castellanos was named CTE Teacher of the Year for 2024 by the California Department of Rehabilitation. The Laborers are also a longtime


partner with AGC of California and its Construction Education Foundation, with Gonzales serving on the AGC CEF Board of Directors. Gonzales said the work done by the


Laborers as well as AGC CEF have been effective at building connections and strengthening the industry as a whole. “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,” he commented. “Above all, we want to foster self-sufficiency and help our members and trainees get the skills they need to succeed in life.”


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026


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