Universal Technical Institute (UTI), the nation’s leading provider of transportation technician training, today announced two new California-based programs to address the state’s strong need for skilled workers.
The Early Employment Program, a groundbreaking program being developed in partnership with local employers, blends post-secondary technical education and on-the-job skills training to develop California’s pipeline of skilled employees and give students an inside track on rewarding, long-term careers. The program will launch at UTI–Sacramento this fall.
The Welding Technology Program, which trains students to fill the state’s growing need for certified welders, will launch at UTI–Long Beach in August 2020.
The new Early Employmentand Welding Technologyofferings build on the success of several other recently launched programs in California, including the BMW Military Student Technician Education Program (MSTEP), which trains service members on-base at Camp Pendleton, and allows them to immediately enter careers at BMW dealers as they transition to civilian life. UTI’s Welding Technology Program at the Rancho Cucamonga campus opened in 2018.
For more than two decades, UTI’s industry-aligned training has helped California employers meet ever-increasing demand for skilled talent and contributed to keeping the state’s economy moving. From UTI campuses in Rancho Cucamonga, Sacramento and Long Beach, California employers have hired more than 13,000 UTI graduates since 2009.1
UTI’s strong industry and employer partnerships in California include Axalta, BMW, Caliber Collision, Crown Lift Trucks, Crown Technical Systems, Eli’s Collision Centers, Ford, General Dynamics, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln Electric, Penske Automotive Group, Penske Truck Leasing, Peterbilt, Roush Yates Engines and Rush Truck Center, among others.
UTI’s Early Employment Program is a unique solution. It marries proven post-secondary skills education with on-the-job training. When the program launches, students will apply for local jobs with participating employers as soon as they enroll at UTI’s Sacramento campus. The program is designed to immerse students in an apprenticeship-like experience, so they graduate already knowing the culture and processes of their employers, even better positioned to hit the ground running in fulltime industry jobs. Graduates who meet their employers’ criteria will also receive reimbursement of school-related expenses and possible other incentives.
UTI’s 36-week Welding Technology Program prepares students for certification via the American Welding Society. The program is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and gives students the skills to work in the transportation, construction, structural, pipe and fabrication industries. Welders are increasingly sought after in industries ranging from automotive fabrication and motorsports to aerospace, energy and manufacturing, and are particularly in demand for major infrastructure projects such as ports and dams, bridges and highways.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be more than 488,000 job openings for welders by the year 2028.
