Today, a bipartisan group of California Assembly members and advocates toured Sacramento’s John F. Kennedy High School to promote the “Better Jobs for a Better California” workforce education and training bill package.

Participating in the tour were Assembly Members Marie Waldron (R-Escondido), Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton), Heath Flora (R-Ripon) and Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) along with industry representatives from several groups including the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the California Professional Firefighters, and the United Ways of California.

Following the tour of the school’s high-performing Career Technical Education program, members and supporters of the Better Jobs for a Better California package spoke on the importance of giving students the skills they need to find good paying, middle-class jobs they deserve.

“The Career Technical Education program here at Kennedy High is a great example of how our schools can get students ready for careers in the trades,” said Cunningham. “California needs to step up and make sure that these kinds of programs are accessible to all students.”

“AB 316 will put people in high unemployment areas back to work,” said Salas. “By investing in our communities through these grants, we will help uplift our workforce and grow California’s economy.”

“We need to do more to help disadvantaged Californians overcome barriers to entering the workforce,” said Waldron. “It’s great to see bipartisan support for creative proposals that lift people out of poverty and into a good career.”

The “Better Jobs for a Better California” package includes the following bills:

• AB 316 (Waldron/Salas) – Would fund grants for creative solutions to help people move up the workforce ladder, support organizations that help people overcome multiple barriers to employment, and increase funding to help community college students achieve their educational goals.
• AB 445 (Cunningham/O’Donnell) – Would establish stable annual funding for Career Technical Education classes that prepare students for community college technical education programs, apprenticeship programs, and other technical career fields.
• AB 579 (Flora/Cooper) – Would establish a new firefighter pre-apprenticeship pilot program to prepare students from underrepresented groups with the skills, competencies, mentorship, and EMT training needed to pass the physical, written and oral exams common to the firefighter hiring process in California.

“One of the biggest challenges facing California manufacturers is finding enough skilled workers for our highly paid and often technical positions,” said Nicole Rice of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association. “In fact, a recent national report shows that the U.S. will be short some 2 million manufacturing workers in the next 10 years. AB 445 will help students take advantage of a growing manufacturing economy in California. As opportunities in manufacturing grow, we need to make sure that individuals are prepared to compete for these jobs.”

“United Ways across California are committed to helping Californians break through barriers and find success in the workforce,” said Amalia Chamorro of United Ways of California. “AB 316 and AB 445 will fund modern career training and employment programs. These are valuable steps to support and empower Californians as they pursue careers that improve lives and lift people into the middle class.”