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Employment Training Panel approves $3.44 million for 13 training projects, including AeroVironment and Balfour Beatty
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Summary
The Employment Training Panel on April 20 approved roughly $3.44 million across 13 proposals, funding AeroVironment, Balfour Beatty Construction, Sierra Pacific Home and Comfort, and the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce; the panel also pressed a contractor on past audit findings and required one applicant to remove a flagged employer.
The California Employment Training Panel approved funding for 13 training projects totaling about $3,439,363 at its April 20 meeting, voting to support a mix of repeat and small‑business contractors across the state.
AeroVironment Inc., a repeat contractor, received $150,024 to train 141 employees at six California locations after Ruth Richman, the company’s director of talent development, described the firm’s workforce growth and investments in modern manufacturing and software training. The motion to fund AeroVironment passed unanimously.
Balfour Beatty Construction was approved for $455,000 to train 325 workers. Kyle Fransen, a vice president who oversees the company’s Sacramento office, told the panel the firm achieved nearly 100% performance on a prior project and is returning for additional training support; the panel voted to approve the contract.
Sierra Pacific Home and Comfort, a small veteran‑led HVAC and home‑services contractor, was approved for $159,600 to train 95 workers, including 11 veterans. Jason Hanson, Sierra Pacific’s president, acknowledged a prior ETP audit that found disallowed costs and said the company has implemented corrective actions and internal controls to address timing and retention errors. Panel members pressed staff and the applicant on whether commission and piecemeal compensation used to meet post‑retention wage thresholds could create instability for workers. Staff told the panel they had reviewed Sierra Pacific’s bonus and commission documentation and determined it met ETP regulation 44.18, sections B and C, which allow commissions or bonuses to be counted when there is a reliable payment history and verification.
The Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce was approved for $849,045 to train 535 workers statewide with a condition: the chamber agreed to remove West Coast Drywall from its list of participating employers after panel members raised Department of Labor and state attorney general wage‑and‑hour concerns regarding that employer. The chamber representative said the group will substitute other participating employers and is working on data‑security and roster issues with hospital partners.
Staff reported that, if all scheduled proposals were approved, the panel’s approvals would total $3,439,363 for 13 projects and that ETP has an active pipeline of applications (230 in demand; 84 in development; 27 in eligibility review). Several contracts on the agenda were withdrawn by applicants and will be considered at future meetings.
Votes on funding motions were recorded by name in the meeting transcript. For the proposals considered with full panel participation, the vote was recorded as: Jennifer Fothergill — Aye; Gretchen Newsome — Aye; Rebecca Bettencourt — Aye; Ricky Smiles — Aye; Michael Greenlee — Aye; Emily Desai — Aye. For at least one later vote (Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber), Ricky Smiles had departed and did not vote.
The panel’s approvals include standard conditions and staff review requirements; staff and panel members repeatedly urged applicants to maintain documentation that supports bonus/commission payments and post‑retention wages to avoid future audit findings. The meeting concluded after public comment and adjournment at 11:17 a.m.
