PRESS RELEASE: CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON CREATES DIRECT ENTRY ARTICULATION AGREEMENT WITH PALMER PATHWAYS PRE-APPRENTICESHIP
Palmer Scholars is delighted to announce its direct entry articulation agreement with the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington (CITC), which will provide family-sustaining earnings for future generations of low-income young men and women of color in Pierce County. Once Pathways Scholars graduate from the Palmer Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship 14-week program, those interested in the construction trades will be eligible to enter directly into apprenticeship programs through CITC.
Palmer Pathways connects young adults aged 18-26 to family-wage careers in the trades by providing up to 14 weeks of rigorous training, guidance, mentoring, financial support, and socioemotional support services. Palmer Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship (PPPA) program will begin its first cohort in October 2021, with information sessions beginning late July 2021.
CITC, which was incorporated in 1985, has been enormous support through our Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council recognition process, which was formalized in April 2021. CITC offers apprenticeships in the following construction crafts to Scholars: Carpentry, Electricians (commercial, residential and limited energy), Heating Ventilation and Air-conditioning Servicer Installer (HVAC), Heavy Equipment Operator, Painter, Plumbing, Scaffold Erector, and Sheet Metal Worker. CITC has training facilities located in Tacoma, Bellevue, Marysville, Vancouver, WA, Pasco, and Spokane.
Palmer Pathways is an initiative of Palmer Scholars, an organization that for nearly 40 years has committed to supporting underrepresented Pierce County students of color to overcome the financial, cultural, and social barriers in their pursuit of higher education. Since 1983, Palmer Scholars has achieved an overall postsecondary graduation rate of 85%.
To qualify for the PPPA program, young adults must be Pierce County residents between the ages of 18 and 26 years old, not currently enrolled in a postsecondary program, and demonstrate financial need. Young adults of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications will be made available on the Palmer Scholars website in July 2021.
Learn more about the CITC’s apprenticeship programs at https://www.citcwa.org To learn more about Palmer Pathways, visit the Palmer Scholars website at https://www.palmerscholars.org/pathways.
