Welcome
A union apprenticeship is an excellent career choice if you like to work with your hands; are willing to serve an apprenticeship for up to five years, depending on the trade you select; have dexterity, mechanical ability, problem-solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a team; want to earn a living wage and good benefits; and want the opportunity to advance in your career.
- Become skilled in a trade, and get paid to do it - "Earn While You Learn!"
- Paid "scholarship" - no or low-cost supervised training
- Full-time employment with career placement built in
- Progressively increasing wage with excellent benefits
- Nationally recognized credential - Completion of Apprenticeship Certificate
- Improved job security and standard of living
- Opportunity for college credit and/or associate degree
- Pride and Dignity
More about apprenticeship »
Green Collar Jobs
Cal Apprenticeships have gone green...
The California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) recently approved integration of environmental (green) components into industry training criteria for the building construction trades apprenticeship programs. Starting this year, all construction apprentices in California will receive instruction on green building practices as a component of their training. "California is poised for success in the greening of commercial and residential construction," said DIR Director John C. Duncan. "This move will help California’s workforce gain the skill set needed to satisfy green building standards."
Key characteristics of green-collar jobs...
Green Collar Jobs Rebuild a Strong Middle Class
The green economy cannot be built with solar sweat shops and Wal-Mart wind farms. A job that does something for the planet, and little to nothing for the people or the economy, is not a green-collar job. Like blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along with a career track of increasing skills and wages.
Green-Collar Jobs Require Some New Skills
The green economy demands workers with new skill sets and some new thinking about old skills. Some green collar jobs are brand new. More existing jobs are being transformed as industries transition to a clean energy economy; for example, mechanics who can fix an electric engine as well as an internal combustion engine. We are investing in creating new training programs and retooling existing training programs to meet the demand. We have identified the specific skills the green economy demands.
Green-Collar Jobs Tend To Be Local Jobs
Much of the work we have deals with making our economy green which involves transforming the places that we live and work and the way we get around. These jobs are difficult or impossible to offshore. For instance, you can't pick up a house, send it to China to have solar panels installed, and have it shipped back.
And By the Way...Green-Collar Jobs Save Planet Earth
This may be obvious. The "green" in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs are in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse-gas emissions, eliminate toxins, and protect natural systems.
Green-collar workers are installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, constructing transit lines, refining waste oil into biodiesel, erecting wind farms, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, and so much more. And they are doing it today. There are many green-collar jobs in America; but, there could be so many more if we focus our economic strategies on growing a green economy.
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