Professor Shaun Keiser, instructor of construction at College of Marin, who teaches the course, says participants give back by building storage sheds as individual projects. “College of Marin’s Maintenance and Operations Department uses these for storage. For the last six semesters, about 90% of the students in the class have been Latino. Students typically range from 18 to 65. Most are in their 20s and early 30s,” says Keiser. The majority of Keiser’s students are laborers who want to become apprentices and journeymen in various trades, trade unions or start their own businesses. “This program and others like it have a place because there’s an industry-wide lack of willingness to teach people with zero experience. Programs like these also show participants that it would help to become more fluent in English and establish their own company,” says Keiser. José Alejandro Alvarez, a construction worker for North Bay Kitchen & Bath in Petaluma, completed the College of Marin-Canal Alliance program in 2022. “I have been working in construction since 2017, but this program gave me more skills and helped me improve my English. Now I want to learn to improve my English even more,” says Alvarez. Peter Melton, public information officer II for the Office of External Affairs, Communications and Outreach of the California Department of Industrial Relations, says on-the-job training in safety practices is also required. “Workers don’t always trust government offices. We are exploring new ways to reach out to employers and workers. We are participating in outreach events where we can meet them in person and inform them about workplace protections and training programs. There is an emphasis on heat-illness training in the
José Alejandro Alvarez, construction worker for North Bay Kitchen & Bath, on the job. [Photo courtesy José Alejandro Alvarez]
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August 2024
NorthBaybiz 35
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