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Building trades praise district workforce agreement, urge better follow-through from pre‑apprenticeship graduates
Summary
Representatives from IBEW and the Riverside‑San Bernardino building trades told the board that the district’s community workforce agreement is producing local hires (speaker cited 68% local‑hire on one project) but said only about 20% of pre‑apprenticeship certificate recipients are applying to apprenticeships; they urged better counseling and student outreach.
Representatives of the building trades updated the San Bernardino City Unified School District board on the community workforce agreement and a district-linked pre‑apprenticeship program, while urging improved follow‑through from students.
Benjamin Pratt, who identified himself as vice president of IBEW local and of the Inland Empire Building Trades Council, said the union has been active at career events across the district and encouraged the board to attend an upcoming pre‑apprenticeship graduation at Indian Springs High School. Pratt said the after‑school pre‑apprenticeship class is a 2‑hour weekly, 14‑week course that gives students direct interview access to IBEW apprenticeship slots after they reach eligibility, but he estimated only about 20% of certificate recipients currently apply for the apprenticeship interviews.
"We're just a little bit discouraged that the kids aren't taking advantage of this certificate," Pratt said. He described the after‑school class as preparation (not paid work) that "gives them access to direct interview to the IBEW apprenticeship" once they turn 18 and meet graduation or equivalency requirements.
Albert Duarte, business manager and executive director of the Riverside‑San Bernardino building trades, said the community workforce agreement has produced significant local participation on district projects; he cited an example project with 57 workers and said the local‑hire rate was about 68%, exceeding a 50% local‑hire goal. Duarte also noted gender imbalance in trades participation and urged more outreach to recruit women into training.
Board exchange and next steps: Mr. Tillman and other trustees asked about conversion and completion numbers; Pratt said current tracking shows roughly 9 apprentices and about 15 pre‑apprentices now in full‑time work or training, which he said equates to roughly 2–3 per cohort. Mr. Tillman suggested targeted outreach to students who already perform well in math as an immediate strategy to increase successful applicants; Pratt agreed to work with counselors and district data to identify likely candidates.
Ending: Both Pratt and Duarte thanked the district for the agreement and the partnership; Pratt invited board members to attend the upcoming graduation and committed to follow up with specific recruitment strategies.
