1st MC3 Pre-Apprenticeship Cohort Launches in VUSD

First Pre-Apprenticeship Cohort in Vista Providing Clear Path to Well-Paying, In-Demand Jobs in Building Trades

Vista USD celebrates 18 students in the first cohort learning about 22 trade paths while becoming certified to secure paid apprenticeships.

A ground-breaking program is in full swing as the first-ever MC3 Apprenticeship Readiness Program in North County sees its first cohort of participants close to graduating. Once the 18 participants complete their coursework and technical training they are on their way to enter well-paying, in-demand trade jobs with local employers.

The program, a partnership between the Vista Unified School District, the San Diego Workforce Partnership, and the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, represents the first of its kind for the North County region. The program aims to provide accessible pathways to well-paying careers in the building and construction trades for North County residents aged 18 and older at no cost to the participant.

“Contractors, over the years, have learned that this is a breeding ground for quality,” says Jon Gosen, the MC3 Program Lead for the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, and a program instructor. “The contractors understand that a student that sacrifices the time and the commitment to getting through the apprenticeship readiness program is a much stronger candidate than somebody just coming in off the street.” 

The program was approved by the California Workforce Development Board. In addition to insight into the 22 different trades, participants will gain industry certifications in up to seven categories including CPR/First Aid, OSHA 30, MEWP (Mobile Elevated Worker Platform), AutoCAD, and the MC3 Certification, better preparing them for union apprenticeship programs.

Opening Up Myriad Opportunities

The 16-week course started in July and will be completed on October 29th. Classes meet at the Vista Adult School and the newly completed CTE center at Rancho Buena Vista High School, where state-of-the-art welding and construction labs are used for training. The 18 students enrolled are gaining valuable experience, safety training and certification, and a look at 22 different career paths offered through the trades union. 

Gosen says that often the students are only aware of a fraction of the opportunities available to them. “They come in thinking, ‘I want to weld.’ Well, if you want to weld, you can go into the ironworkers' apprenticeship. You can go into the pipefitters apprenticeship. You can go into the laborers' apprenticeship. You can go into sheet metal. They all have welding programs.” 

“We're giving them that leg up and getting them directed into the right lane, so to speak, so that they can pursue what they want,” says Rick McCurdy, Vista USD’s Career Pathways Teacher on Special Assignment. A second cohort is already being planned for early 2025.

Connecting Students to Jobs

As students gain clarity about where they would like to focus, the instructors help match them to existing opportunities and transition into paying apprenticeships. Says Gosen, “We have a couple of students in this class that will definitely have jobs waiting for them on some SANDAG projects.

“We have many partners that we speak with to determine their needs. Pure Water San Diego is a partner. The San Diego Airport Terminal One expansion is a partner. Riverwalk San Diego, which is the Fashion Valley project that just started. The Gaylord project in Chula Vista is the largest hotel in the continental US. A lot of these programs have spots waiting for the students when they leave the program.”

“It is so exciting to be the first school district in North County to provide an important pathway for Vista Unified students and community members to join the expanding construction trade industry with free training and job placement,” said Dr. Matthew Doyle, Superintendent of Vista Unified School District.

Hands-On Technical Training

The CTE Center at Rancho Buena Vista, a recently completed effort of the Measure LL Bond, provides program participants with the most up-to-date equipment of any training program in the county. 

“No one has a facility like what's at RBV,” says Gosen. “The space is state of the art. With some of the programs we do in San Diego, we're able to take students over to the Iron Workers Training Center, for example, and they can do some welding. But of all the courses that I've done, this class has gotten more exposure with that type of equipment and that hands-on than any other class.”

No Cost for Participants

Training To Fill In-Demand Jobs

Apprenticeships are growing in popularity. In 2020, more than 221,000 individuals nationwide entered the apprenticeship system, according to the US Department of Labor. Nationwide, there were over 636,000 apprentices obtaining the skills they needed to succeed while earning the wages they needed to build financial security. The Average Starting Salary after an apprentice completes an apprenticeship program is $80K, according to the US Department of Labor.

To learn more about the program visit San Diego Workforce Partnership website at workforce.org/apprenticeship-readiness/