San José City College, Ironworkers Union Launch Welding Credit Degree
San José City College and Ironworkers Local 377 celebrate new welding program with beam-cutting ceremony.
Program will help meet demand in the SF Bay Area’s booming construction industry
We’re honored that Local 377 selected San José City College to help provide the facilities and instruction for a new generation of ironworkers.”
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, March 9, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- San José City College (SJCC) is proud to announce the launch of its collaboration with the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 377 (Local 377) to offer a credit degree program in welding, intended specifically for apprentices who are on four-year paths to becoming journeymen. — Dr. Byron Clift Breland, SJCC President.
“We’re honored that Local 377 selected San José City College to help provide the facilities and instruction for a new generation of ironworkers," said Dr. Byron Clift Breland, SJCC President. "They are the workers who are constructing the new high-rise buildings going up all over the Bay Area, as well as repairing and maintaining our important network of bridges and other mass transit infrastructure,”
Apprentices are required to attend class four weeks a year, full-time. The union currently has 1,000 apprentices eligible to take this coursework.
"Instruction began on March 6, 2017, in a welding lab built for this purpose,” said Jorge Escobar, SJCC Vice President of Administrative Services. “The facility consists of 20 fully-equipped welding booths, a state-of-the-art air filtration and circulation system, an outdoor yard, adjacent classrooms, and upgraded electrical and mechanical systems.”
The new welding lab at SJCC helps to lift a huge burden off of apprentices living in Santa Clara County who have previously had to commute hours to Benicia in Solano County for the required training.
“To be located here also provides an excellent opportunity to show San José City College students already on campus what a great career ironwork can be,” said Charlie Hernandez, Local 377 Executive Officer.
Ironwork is one of the highest paid trades in the Bay Area with so much work available that union hiring halls sit virtually empty. Planning for the credit degree began four years ago as SJCC officials worked with union leaders to transfer training courses from the North Bay to San José.
North American building trades unions have embarked on an effort to increase the number of U.S. construction industry apprentices. The aim is to provide greater opportunities for people in underserved communities and help them acquire good middle-class jobs in the construction industry.
About San José City College
San José City College’s metropolitan campus is located just minutes from downtown San José off Highway 280. Established in 1921, San José City College offers eleven Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) with guaranteed admission to the California State University System. San José City College is the largest provider of training in manufacturing in Santa Clara County and provides workforce education in Computer Electronics Technology, CNC Machinist, Machine Technology, Entry-Level Machinist, Facilities Maintenance Technology, Laser Technology, Machine Shop Safety, Programmable Logic Controls, Blueprint Reading, and Welding.
Daniel Garza
San Jose City College
408-288-3163
email us here
I Built It!
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
