High Road Construction Careers
About High Road Construction Careers:
The California Workforce Development Board oversees a suite of investments and policy initiatives to advance construction careers as a reliable pathway to the middle class for disadvantaged Californians. The High Road Construction Careers (HRCC) program prioritizes partnerships that link local building and construction trades councils to workforce boards, community colleges, and community-based organizations, creating structured pathways — with a standard core curriculum and critical supportive services — to state-certified apprenticeships in a variety of crafts. These efforts build systems and policies that directly advance the State Plan goals of equity (access to skills and economic opportunity) and job quality (connections to careers with decent wages and benefits).
Through various state funding sources (e.g., Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, Road Repair & Accountability Act/SB 1, and CA Clean Energy Jobs Act/Prop 39), the CWDB has been investing millions of dollars in pre-apprenticeship partnerships across California. These investments connect programs directly to regional labor market demand through a campaign to expand the use of Community Workforce Agreements, which wrap targeted local hire provisions into public infrastructure projects, including projects critical to safeguarding the environment and climate.
Please check out our HRCC playlist to hear about the power of pre-apprenticeship training from program participants and industry leaders driving regional HRCC training partnerships.
For information and updates on HRCC, email us at HRCC@CWDB.CA.GOV.
HRCC: CCI Program
Low Carbon Economy Workforce Program: Supporting Regional HRCC Pre-Apprenticeship Partnerships
The California Workforce Development Board is pleased to announce the availability of up to $5.6 million for the HRCC initiative at this time.
Important Dates
Program Start Date
June 1, 2021*
Grant Term
June 1, 2021 – March 31, 2023 (22-Months)
*Note – All dates after the final proposal submission deadline are approximate and may be adjusted as conditions dictate.
HRCC: SB 1 Program
The HRCC program aims to advance careers in the building and construction trades as a reliable pathway to the middle class for disadvantaged Californians via multi-craft pre-apprentinceship training. With the funding from SB1, awarded training partnerships will do this through:
- Investments in pre-apprenticeship training partnerships that lead to both personal and professional development of high-need individuals and at-risk populations (namely women, racial/ethnic minorities, and under-represented sub groups, disadvantaged youth, and individuals who were formerly incarcerated pursuant to SB1).
- Regional collaboration to ensure a demand-driven approach to workforce development to meet both labor market demand and industry needs leading to employment.
- Incorporating and/or leveraging existing or emerging policies and initiatives (especially those related to environmental and climate change) that are shaping the future of work.
AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Program Implementation: The California Workforce Development Board is pleased to announce the awards for SB1.
Technical Assistance: The California Workforce Development Board is pleased to announce the following two awards to support the development, implementation, and sustainability of the High Road Construction Careers regional pre-apprenticeship partnerships.
Project Support Network $500,000 CA State Building and Construction Trades Council
Regional Coordination $200,000 CA State Building and Construction Trades Council
SB 1 Workforce Guidelines
Standards for multi-craft pre-apprenticeship in the construction sector. Although developed pursuant to SB 1, these standards are applicable to all segments of the construction industry, as well as to any policy area or workforce investment involving building and construction trades work.
For more information about funding and statutory requirements for the HRCC: SB 1 Program, please read Senate Bill 1: The Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017.
HRCC: Prop 39 California Clean Energy Jobs Act Program
From 2014-2019, the California Workforce Development Board invested $13.3M of Proposition 39 Clean Energy Job Creation funds to build twelve construction pre-apprenticeship partnerships across the state. These pilot projects – the backbone of the CWDB High Road Construction Careers initiative – established a coherent system of energy efficiency focused job-training and placement programs serving disadvantaged Californians. HRCC: Prop 39 partnerships built regional pipelines to middle class careers for at-risk youth, women, justice-involved, and other disadvantaged or under-represented job seekers. Using the National Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), these pilots prepared more than 2,100 disadvantaged Californians for a future in construction careers. Partnering with local Building Trades Councils (BTCs) and the state certified apprenticeship community, this pilot program brought together community, education and workforce organizations to create the critical link between pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. Graduates earned an industry-valued credential and many were connected to joint labor-management, state-registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades; some graduates went on to different steps on their career pathway, such as enrolling in postsecondary education.
Program Reports to the Prop 39 Citizens Oversight Board (California Energy Commission)
Final Jobs Report (2019; produced by UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research & Education)
HRCC Resources
Branding and Communication Guidelines for HRTP-HRCC: Department of Education
Short videos showcasing the HRCC program and individual training partnerships
Best Practice Reports
High Road Construction Careers Project Profiles
- Apprenticeship Readiness Partnership
- East Bay Regional Trades Program
- HRCC: RWF ValleyBuild
- Humboldt High Road Construction Careers
- Inland Empire Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program
- Los Angeles/Orange County – MC3
- Monterey Bay Collaborative
- North Bay Trades Introduction Program
- North State Builds
- Pathway to Sustainability
- Region 6-Tri Counties HRCC Resilient Workforce Fund
- San Diego and Imperial Apprenticeship Readiness Collaborative
- Sistas’ With Tools
HRCC Partners & External Resources
