Need a job? High-speed rail agency to open training center in Selma
Selma has been selected as the site for a workforce development center to train workers for high-speed rail construction in the San Joaquin Valley.
The city of Selma and the California High-Speed Rail Authority announced the project Tuesday. The center, which is expected to open this summer, will offer pre-apprenticeship programs and construction industry training for veterans, at-risk young adults and minority and low-income residents in the Valley. Construction on three different sections of rail line is taking place in the Valley from Madera through Kern counties.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the city and the rail agency indicated that the summer opening of the center will come at a time when people whose jobs have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic are in need of new employment opportunities.
The training program will include an overall orientation to construction; surveying and blueprint reading; structural steel and ironwork fundamentals; fundamentals of framing, forms, foundations and cement work; basic electrical and wiring; training in abatement of lead and hazardous waste; computer-assisted drafting; and job safety and physical fitness. Graduates of the training program will receive job-placement assistance in coordination with the high-speed rail agency and its contractors.
Henry R. Perea, a former Fresno County supervisor who is now a member of the state High-Speed Rail Authority board of directors, said Selma was selected for the center “to send a message that we are reaching out to rural communities.”
“Selma’s proximity to other cities allows us to bring quality programs to our residents and prepare them for a rewarding career in the construction industry,” Perea added. A specific site for the training center was not revealed in the announcement.
Details on pre-apprenticeship training are online at www.hsrjobs.com.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 8:52 PM.
