The Hanford Viaduct along the California high-speed rail route takes shape in this 2020 file photo. HSR photo

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and the City of Selma have launched a website for the up-coming High-Speed Rail Training Center in Selma.

The website will allow students to review the Central Valley Training Center Program qualifications and sign up for classes scheduled to commence on Oct. 5.

The training center in Selma will provide pre-apprenticeship classes and hands-on construction industry training for people in the Central Valley looking to work on the high-speed rail project. The program is aimed at serving veterans, at-risk young adults, minority and low-income populations in the counties of Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern, Madera, and Merced.

“It’s exciting to see that we are one step closer to opening the Central Valley Training Center doors. This training center has the ability to transform the lives of Selmans and families throughout the Valley. Working with high-speed rail shows our commitment to investing in the future of our community,” said Selma Mayor Louis Franco.

The training center has partnered with the local Building and Construction Trades Council, Fresno County Economic Development Corporation and Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission and will provide students 16 weeks of customized classroom instruction to help fulfill the labor force training needed for the high-speed rail project.

Industry-specific certifications and job placement assistance will be provided to all graduating students of the program through the high-speed rail project and its contractors.

There are currently nearly 1,100 workers dispatched on an average day to 32 active construction sites between Madera and Kern counties.

“Our workforce is growing and moving forward. Every trade is increasing their apprenticeship programs because people are asking for these opportunities,” said Chuck Riojas, executive director of the Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings Building Trades Council. “The Central Valley Training Center is part of it. This effort is a convergence of momentum happening across the state, within all trades and labor unions, and high-speed rail is helping make it a reality in the Central Valley.”