Apprentice Grad Building a Better Career in State Employment
Upward mobility is a Union priority, and Local 1000 is helping its members find enhanced career paths and higher income through our groundbreaking Apprenticeship program.
We’re building new career opportunities in health care, financial services, and information technology with a unique program that blends on-the-job training with classroom education.
Hanna Burgess, who works in Information Technology at the California Department of Aging, used her Apprenticeship to accelerate her career with the State. As a result, she’s making more money in a job where the working conditions are more compatible with her life as wife and mother to two young children.
She calls her Apprentice experience and outcome “life-changing.”
Hanna’s a nine-year state employee who’s worked aggressively to build a career with the State. In her early years at CDCR, and later at CCHCS, she “promoted up the admin trail … with stops leading up to a SSA and finally and AGPA.” But then, she asked, “what’s next?”
She applied for, and was accepted to, our Information Technology apprenticeship. “I learned a lot, did almost everything including hardware, software, inventory, mobile devices,” during the hands-on training, which was supplemented by classroom education and a once-weekly session with her fellow Apprentices.
“Local 1000 has created a remarkably well-planned and executed program. Our opportunity for progress was mapped out for us, and the program managers were very supportive and communicated with us often.”
Hanna got a new job in IT just as her Apprentice program was ending. She’s promoted twice in her new field since then, and is now an IT Specialist 1 at the Dept. of Aging.
“I’ve grown as a state worker, and this program has helped create a better employer-employee relationship for me. This program pays many dividends,” said Hanna.
About Local 1000 Apprenticeship Program Opportunities
Local 1000 Apprenticeships couple on-the-job training with related study and instruction in order to increase workers’ skills and allow them to be more competitive in the job market. At the same time, workers continue to receive income, avoiding financial barriers that otherwise would prevent them from attaining education and new skills.