By Tanya Perez

As Aggie Square moves from the planning stage into implementing those plans, construction jobs are moving from ideas to realities, as well.

In a recent conversation with Kevin Ferreira, executive director of the Sacramento-Sierra Building and Construction Trades Council, or SSBCTC, he shared the progress already made toward the goals of training and hiring local workers for building Aggie Square.

The project will have an estimated 5,000 construction jobs, which includes a focus on training would-be workers who live in areas surrounding the project at the UC Davis Sacramento campus.

When asked how SSBCTC will be able to train area workers for Aggie Square construction jobs, Ferreira said they’ve already placed “109 people through our pre-apprenticeship program, brand new people ready to start their careers in construction.”

Ferreira said they are “helping place them in other (construction) jobs now,” since Aggie Square is not set to break ground until early 2022.

SSBCTC, in partnership with People Working Together, or PWT, has a workforce development program which “offers a readiness program focused on the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3),” according to the PWT website.

This pre-apprenticeship or “readiness program” exposes aspiring construction workers to topics such as blueprint reading, construction health and safety, basic math for construction and other necessary skills to succeed in apprentice programs. The MC3 is taught for 120 hours over the course of 30 days.

Ferreira explained that the pre-apprenticeship program “brings awareness to all career paths” that are possible through SSBCTC. “Most people only know of five or six,” he said.

Another perk of the training, Ferreira added, is “all our programs are state-approved apprenticeship programs.”

To get the word out to would-be construction workers on the Aggie Square project who would benefit from the pre-apprenticeship program, Ferreira said, “We go out into the community with flyers, we talk with community groups, churches, and say ‘Hey, if you know someone who’s interested, have them register.”

The best place to learn more is to attend the Aggie Square virtual meeting on “Preparing for Construction Jobs,” held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Attendees need to register for this session, where they will hear from Ferreira, as well as Aggie Square’s developer Wexford Science & Technology, the city of Sacramento, and construction contractor Whiting-Turner.