On Saturday, June 10, nearly 160 students from Northern California Construction Training (NCCT) took their first steps toward transitioning into construction trade careers. They received certificates of completion in Construction Management Technologies, a pre-apprenticeship training program, which will qualify them to join any construction trade union.
Nearly 70 of those graduates were enrolled in Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) programs serving either community school students or parolees and probationers working to successfully transition back into their communities. Nearly 85% of this year’s NCCT graduates have been placed in construction trade jobs. In addition, 17 NCCT students have earned their high school equivalency (GED or HiSet) certificates.
“There’s always a way to achieve. And if you work hard and show that you really want to be somewhere in life, it can happen,” said Willie Jenkins, a graduate of NCCT and SCOE’s Eleanor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School.
Northern California Construction Training (NCCT) is a non-profit, community-based organization that offers pre-apprenticeship programs to help students transition to careers in the construction industry. NCCT was formed to make well-paying careers in construction available to anyone with the desire to complete the program and participate in apprenticeship training. NCCT does this through a program featuring trained staff that teach and mentor students. More than 1,400 SCOE students—both youth and adults—have gone through the program.
NCCT graduate Jotham Brooks not only received his certificate, but also a vehicle. Each year, NCCT receives a donated vehicle, repairs and registers it, and awards it to a deserving graduate. “This is an opportunity to get a career and totally change my life. That’s what NCCT has meant for me,” Brooks said.
SCOE plays a vital role in providing technical assistance, curriculum and instructional support, staff development, fiscal services and oversight to Sacramento County school districts. SCOE operates special education programs for students with severe disabilities, Court and Community Schools for high-risk and at-risk students, and career technical education courses. SCOE also provides services to parolees and probationers enrolled through programs designed to help them successfully transition back into their communities.