North Coast Opportunities outlines paid BUILD construction training and apprenticeship placements for Lake County residents
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Summary
North Coast Opportunities described its BUILD program—a paid, four-month construction training and earn‑and‑learn track—for Clear Lake residents, reporting high completion and placement rates and plans to add HVAC/solar training.
North Coast Opportunities (NCO) presented the BUILD program to the Clear Lake City Council on April 3, describing a paid four‑month construction fundamentals track that provides hands‑on training, mentorship and employer connections for Lake County residents facing barriers to employment.
Justin Gaddy, director of community wellness at NCO, said the agency runs the program on an “earn and learn” model funded in part through county support. Derek Fiedler, BUILD project manager, gave details on recruitment, training and outcomes: NCO receives about 60–65 applications per semester, selects six paid participants for each cohort, and provides roughly 300–400 hours of field training and classroom workshops (including Mendocino College construction labs).
Fiedler said BUILD serves adults 18 and older who are motivated to pursue trades careers and who face employment barriers such as homelessness, justice involvement or transportation challenges. Since 2020, BUILD treated 48 total participants; 36 completed at least 300 hours of on‑the‑job training and 34 reported employment placements in the county, a placement rate BUILD staff described as roughly 89% compared with a typical 50% benchmark cited by the program.
The presentation outlined employer partnerships — including Danco Construction, Bridal Construction and Valley Glass — and described individual participant stories used to illustrate outcomes. NCO also described crew projects in Clear Lake such as ramps and deck repairs, and said a new track focused on HVAC and solar will allow successful BUILD graduates to extend training into a longer apprenticeship pathway.
Council members and the public welcomed the program and several suggested connections with local schools and fairs; NCO staff said they will recruit at an April 10 college and career fair at Lower Lake High School and encouraged applications via the program website or QR code provided in the presentation.