PHOTO RELEASE: California High-Speed Rail Recognizes 14th Cohort to Complete Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program

September 30, 2024

FRESNO, Calif. – The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) this weekend recognized another 17 students to complete the Central Valley Training Center pre-apprenticeship program in the city of Selma. To date, 223 students have completed the program.

The Central Valley Training Center is a 12-week construction course for students eager to work on the high-speed rail project. Previous students have moved on to work for subcontractors or have been sponsored into the trades in hopes of working on the project in the future.

Visalia resident Janelle Tumacder was one of two student speakers to tell her story and experience at the training center. Before enrolling, Tumacder was a meat cutter at a local grocery store. A visit to a union hall allowed her to talk with another female trades worker who encouraged her to sign up for the program.

“I’m excited and motivated now to find a career in the trades,” said Tumacder. “I want to become a carpenter and work for the high-speed rail. Carpentry is hands-on and is what I’ve always been into. Hard work is what I am made to do.”

Carlos Gonzales of Kingsburg heard about the program at a pivotal moment in his life. Gonzales, a fitness instructor for five years, wanted to learn and grow in a new trades career.

“My motivation to enter this program is to find a job, a career, that I can see myself advancing in,” said Gonzales. “I don’t know where I will end up or what trade I’ll be in, but I know I’ll be doing something where there is growth. This program showed me the different opportunities the trades have to offer.”

Authority board member Henry Perea served as emcee for the graduation and offered congratulatory words to each student.

Construction progresses every day on the high-speed rail project between Madera and Kern counties. The Authority has begun work to extend the 119 miles currently under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield.

There are currently more than 25 active construction sites in California’s Central Valley, with the Authority having also fully environmentally cleared 463 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County.

The Central Valley Training Center is a project of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in partnership with the Fresno, Madera, Kings, Tulare Building Trades Council, Fresno Economic Development Corporation, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, and the city of Selma.

For the latest on high-speed rail construction underway in the Central Valley, visit: www.buildhsr.com

The following link contains recent video, animations, photography, press center resources and latest renderings: https://hsra.app.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8

These files are all available for free use, courtesy of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.