"As California's consumer watchdog, we applaud the California State Pipe Trades Council for its record of pro-consumer advocacy." - Richard Holober, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of Cailfornia
Apprentice Training
Janet Johnson
Janet Johnson, of Los Angeles, took an untraditional path to becoming an apprentice with the California State Pipe Trades.
After working in the biomedical research field, the aerospace industry and in education, Janet found the work rewarding, yet she missed having a job where she could see concrete results at the end of the day. Her next job in the computer technology field left her concerned because so many jobs were being shipped overseas.
"They told me, 'there is a place for you here'."
- Janet Johnson
At that point, Janet said she "felt lost." She attended an information session about the program and aced the preliminary exam. Janet said she felt welcome from day one. "They could have told me I was overqualified and sent me away. Instead, they explained how the plumbing and pipe fitting fields were changing rapidly and how I was a great fit for the program," Janet recalled. "They told me, 'there is a place for you here.'"
She started as an apprentice in September 2002 and found what she was looking for: a job that was hands-on, tapped her math and science knowledge and delivered real results at the end of the day.
