Vocational Training Helps Fill Skill Gaps As Job Market Tightens For Employers

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase vocational training for workers.

The Pledge to American Workers will also expand apprenticeships and educational programs.

The White House calls it a "vocational crisis"—businesses throughout the country having a hard time finding workers with the skills they need. In Sacramento, some students are getting ready to fill that gap.

From age 19 past 40, these men and women are getting trained and ready for jobs already waiting for them. The Northern California Construction Training Program is designed to bring individuals from the community and give them skills to enter an apprenticeship program or other trade.

Mark Moore has been in the program for just two weeks and already has his hazmat certification. He applauds any action to expand this kind of training. Like many in the program, he says he is looking for a secure future with financial stability for his family.

In partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education and other organizations, this program provides training at no cost and helps students obtain their GED if they haven't completed high school.

Program participant Robert Daumer says the program organizers said they could help him, and he says they have.

"Where where else can you come, at no charge to you and get the benefits of a new job and build a lifelong career?"

The program can last from a few months to a year, depending on the student. Some students currently in the program are already receiving job offers.