INVESTING IN OUR INDUSTRY AGC CEF Awarded $2.5 Million


ERiCA Round 2 Grant The grant from California DIR, in Partnership with the Northern and Southern California Laborers Training Programs, is Part of an Effort to Expand Construction Career Access Statewide


T


he AGC o f California Construction Education Foundation (AGC CEF) was


recently awarded a $2.5 million Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship (ERiCA) Round 2 grant by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards. This funding is part of a broader $26 million statewide effort to expand access to construction careers for women, non-binary, and underrepresented Californians. AGC CEF will execute its grant-fund- ed scope in close partnership with the Northern California Laborers Training


& Retraining Center and the Southern California Laborers Training School, building on the success of its ERiCA Round 1 award, which concluded in June 2025. The Round 2 grant supports AGC


CEF’s Build California initiative in three key areas: • Recruitment: In collaboration with the Laborers Training Centers and BuildIT, AGC CEF will scale outreach efforts through partnerships with schools, community organizations, social and digital media campaigns, and in-person events to engage women and individuals from historically


underrepresented populations. Te goal is to reach 20,000 Californians and provide career navigation and apprenticeship entry support to hundreds each year.


• Childcare: Tis funding will enable AGC CEF to administer $1.2 million in direct childcare stipends to support female and underrepresented pre- apprentices and apprentices, helping to remove caregiving as a barrier to participation and retention. It will also support the staffing and infrastructure needed to deliver wraparound supportive services— including referrals, case management, and coordination with training and employer partners—to eligible individuals statewide.


Adele Burnes, Chief, California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards, spoke at an AGC of California’s Women in Construction Summit that took place in Newport Beach on March 31, 2025. The ERiCA grant focuses specifically on serving and uplifting women and underrepresented groups in construction.


16


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025


• Workplace Culture: Te grant will support efforts to foster more inclusive, respectful, and supportive jobsite environments for pre-apprentices and apprentices. AGC CEF will partner with Alteristic Inc. to deliver bystander intervention training to a range of stakeholders, including apprentices, apprenticeship staff, contractor executives, human resources and safety leaders, and public and private owners and agencies, to promote safe, accountable, and respectful work environments. In parallel, the Northern and Southern


California Laborers Training Centers will provide apprentices with specialized training on mental health awareness,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24