Vista USD Celebrates Second Graduating Cohort of Pre-Apprenticeship Program

On the evening of Thursday, May 8, 20 young adults celebrated with family, friends, and leaders of the MC3 Apprenticeship Readiness Program at the graduation ceremony for the program’s second cohort. The ceremony follows the graduation of 19 participants in the fall of 2024, helping to make careers accessible in well-paying, in-demand jobs.

The MC3 program is a ground-breaking initiative providing participants with the certifications and technical training necessary 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.”

22 Trades, 7 Certifications Prepare Participants For Workforce
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
Classes for the 16-week program 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 graduates gained valuable experience, safety training and certification, and a look at 22 different career paths offered through the trades union.

 

For many participants, the program is an eye-opener of the various trades and specialties that are available to pursue. For Leandro Salso, a participant in the current class, the program presented myriad options.

MC3 graduate Leandro Salso, right, with his uncle, welding instructor Derek Mendiola​

 

“[I've learned that] welding is a specialized skilled trade - there isn't a specific welding union - you have to get into a trade that works with metal, and then welding would be a specialized niche. So I’ve been able to see sheet metal versus working with ironworkers versus boilermakers, and also plumbing and fitting. I'm working towards getting into the local 23,0 the plumbing and pipe fitting union out in Santee. It's been a real eye-opener and a real blessing. You know I'm really grateful for this.”

“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.

 

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 paid apprenticeships. Says Gosen, “We have a couple of students in this class that 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.”

 

For Ariana Flores, a graduate of the first cohort in October, 2024, the program prepared her for the next step in pursuing a career in surveying. That process started with an exam for the Southern California Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

Ariana Flores (left). a Fall 2024 MC3 graduate, is pursuing a career in surveying​

 

“After [the cohort] graduation, I was studying for that exam which was in March. I passed the exam and have been it was contacting the employers to pursue a paid apprenticeship.” In addition to preparing her for the exam, the MC3 program equipped Flores and other graduates with key certifications and knowledge of technical programs like Auto-CAD, which is used in surveying.

 

“I would say for sure [the MC3 program] is worth it because you really get the chance to find out what all these different trades have in store for you and you get to decide which areas interests you the most. And getting these certifications and being prepared for whatever job you want - I find that having these extra certifications is helpful towards getting me into a job.”

 

“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
“We're excited to collaborate with Vista Unified School District and the San Diego Building & Construction Trades Council in crafting this innovative partnership,” said Tony Young, interim President and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership. "This unique initiative reflects our collective dedication to empowering individuals with sought-after skills training, enabling them to obtain fulfilling careers, paving the way for a brighter future in the region."

The success of the first two cohorts has led to an expansion for future classes. The third cohort is scheduled to start on July 8, 2025, and will have space for 24 participants.

Training To Fill In-Demand Jobs
According to the San Diego Workforce Partnership, there are 148,992 people employed in the Energy, Construction, & Utilities Sector in San Diego County. The forecast for growth estimates a 10% sector growth in San Diego County over the next five years.

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 the San Diego Workforce Partnership website at workforce.org/apprenticeship-readiness/