*** ACTION ALERT ***

The Governor needs to hear from you. For those who responded to our apprenticeship funding action alert earlier this week, we appreciate your quick action! If you’ve not had a chance to submit a letter to the Governor, please take a couple of minutes now to use our online letter writing feature below.

Conversations with the Administration surrounding this important issue could take place as early as the next couple of weeks, so letters are needed today!

As you know, during the Great Recession, funding for California’s apprenticeship programs was sharply reduced in response to fiscal pressures. The resulting funding shortfalls have compounded from one fiscal year to the next, leaving a growing gap in resources for critical training even as the number of active apprentices has continued to rise (up 40% since 2014).

While the Legislature and Governor have taken important first steps to help ease these deficits, structural change and an ongoing, increased revenue commitment are needed to ensure the health and viability of apprenticeship in the future.

We are urging the Governor to include in his January 2018 budget, a proposal to fully backfill prior year apprenticeship deficits and increase the existing, dedicated, annual allocation for apprenticeship going forward in order to successfully meet California’s growing apprenticeship demands. 

Let the Governor know that the safety of the public, and the future of the profession, depend on a fully-trained firefighting force that speaks the same training language no matter where they’re from. A fully-funded firefighter apprenticeship program is a critical step toward a safer California.