BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Finding a job can be hard at times, especially when most of them require some type of certification. For those not wanting to follow the traditional college route, the MC3 Pre-Apprenticeship Program offers the chance to learn a trade.
Program graduate Deshonta Grayson says he is grateful to have been a part of the program, and he's looking forward to starting a new career in fabrication.
"We're important like lawyers. We're important like doctors. We're important like engineers because we're getting trained with the skills to go out there and be somebody," Grayson said.
The MC3 Pre-Apprenticeship Program is a 6 week class that teaches specific trade skills, like metalworking, as well as training for people who want to be electricians, ironworkers, painters, and plumbers.
Grayson describes the course as fast-paced, with each day being more challenging than the last, but he says he's proud that he can provide for his family.
MC3 Pre-Apprenticeship Training Coordinator David Hudgins explains how the program works.
"We visit eight of our local unions here in town. We also do a bunch of other construction-related training. The goal of the training program is; once they graduate in six weeks, now they'll have the ability to join one of our local trades, 'cause now they know more about that trade," said Hudgins.
According to Hudgins, in the 2 years since the program was created, 70 people have graduated and found jobs in their chosen trades.
Along with Grayson, 16 more students graduated from the program on Friday, when the event was celebrated with a luncheon.
The next 6 week session of the MC3 Pre-Apprenticeship Program will start on June 26. To register for this session, visit ValleyBuild and fill out the registration form there.
Prospective students can also contact America's Job Center of Kern County for more information.
