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Home › Our Work › Trades Orientation Program
TRADES ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Trades Orientation Program

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Ready to launch your new career in the building and construction trades? Register for an info session!

Register for an Info Session

Have questions? Email topteam@wpusa.org

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If you’re tired of low-wage, dead-end jobs and ready to find a career, the Trades Orientation Program will help you learn what it takes to start an apprenticeship in the skilled construction trades.

The cutting-edge Silicon Valley construction industry is booming, and companies are looking for candidates who are ready to work hard, eager to learn new skills and not afraid to get their hands dirty.

The Trades Orientation Program is a free, one-year program that will put you on the pathway to apprenticeship and a rewarding career in the high demand construction trades.

No experience is necessary, just a high school diploma or GED, reliable transportation, and the commitment to show up on time every day ready to work and to learn.

Women, youth (age 18+), U.S. veterans and under-represented minorities are highly encouraged to apply.

TOP is generously funded by the California Workforce Development Board, the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards, Tipping Point Community, the Irvine Foundation, the County of Santa Clara CalFRESH Employment and Training Program, and work2future, with additional support from Pacific Gas & Electric.

This project is also funded in part with federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the United States Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of the trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: Mail: USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Room 334 Alexandria, VA 22314; or Email: FNSCIVILRIGHTSCOMPLAINTS@usda.gov.

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Ready to launch your new career in the building and construction trades?

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Email topteam@wpusa.org

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🎙️ Who gets a say in Silicon Valley’s tech future? 🎙️ Who gets a say in Silicon Valley’s tech future?

While headlines focus on what AI might do tomorrow, decisions about how technology shapes our jobs and lives are being made TODAY.

Our Executive Director, Maria Noel Fernandez, joined Keith Menconi from @sjspotlight's The Podlight to discuss how AI and workplace surveillance are changing the way we work, and how the People’s Tech Coalition is organizing to ensure workers and communities have a voice in the technologies shaping their futures.

Listen to the full pod at sanjosespotlight.com/the-podlight 🔗 Link in bio
🚨 DEADLINE: Voter Registration 🗳️ TODAY, OCT 19, 🚨 DEADLINE: Voter Registration 🗳️

TODAY, OCT 19, is the last day to register to vote online or by mail for the November 3, 2026 General Election!

Take a few minutes to register TODAY or check your registration status at sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration!

#MyVoteMyHealth #RegisterToVote #CaliforniaVotes
🗳️ Is your vote-by-mail ballot just sitting on you 🗳️ Is your vote-by-mail ballot just sitting on your kitchen table? 

Here are 5 simple steps you can take right now to make sure your vote is counted!

🗳️ Is your vote-by-mail ballot just sitting on your kitchen table? 

✅ Complete it — Fill out your ballot.

✅ Seal it — Place it in the return envelope.

✅ Sign it — Make sure your signature matches your voter registration.

✅ Return it — By mail or local drop box (preferred).

✅ Track it — Get ballot updates at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.
🚨 NEW REPORT: Bossware is on the rise in CA The P 🚨 NEW REPORT: Bossware is on the rise in CA

The People’s Tech Coalition is a statewide alliance building power to establish workers’ rights for the 21st century.

Today, we’re sounding the alarm on bossware in California—algorithms, AI, and digital surveillance technologies increasingly used to track workers, measure performance, and make decisions on the job.

Our new report takes a closer look at how bossware impacts workers—and what protections workers need against the misuse of these technologies.

📖 Read the full report at report.NoRoboBosses.org 🚫🤖
Workers fought against Big Tech—and won! ✊🔥 Despi Workers fought against Big Tech—and won! ✊🔥

Despite opposition from powerful, well-funded tech lobbyists, California workers and unions fought for and won groundbreaking new protections against the harmful uses of AI in the workplace.

From limiting AI surveillance to requiring human oversight in workplace decisions, these new laws are a major step toward ensuring technology works for people, not just corporate profits.

But the fight is far from over. Several important bills failed to become law, and gaps in existing protections still leave many workers vulnerable. We're celebrating these hard-fought victories while continuing to organize for a future where every worker has dignity, privacy, and a voice in how technology shapes their lives.

Swipe to see what workers won—and what we're still fighting for. ➡️
🗳️ Vote-by-mail ballots are arriving this week! Fo 🗳️ Vote-by-mail ballots are arriving this week! Follow along and share the following key dates with your friends, families, and enemies:

📅 OCT 5: Ballots begin being mailed out.
📅 OCT 19: Last Day to Register to Vote using the regular process
📅 OCT 24: Vote Centers Open
📅 OCT 27: Last Recommended Day to Mail Your Ballot

📅 NOV 3: Election Day !!

#MyVoteMyHealth #VoteByMail #November2026General #CaliforniaVotes
📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo 📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo album, now on Facebook! ✨

Champions for Change 2026 brought together the people who organize, lead, and fight every day for a Silicon Valley that works for everyone. We’re grateful to everyone who joined us to celebrate this year's victories, and the champions who continue to lead our movement forward.

Look back at the night, find your favorite moments, and once again celebrate the community that made the night so special. 🧡💙💛

Check out the full album at the link in our bio—and thank you for making our 2026 Champions for Change a night to remember. 🥂

📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo album, now on Facebook! ✨

Champions for Change 2026 brought together the people who organize, lead, and fight every day for a Silicon Valley that works for everyone. We’re grateful to everyone who joined us to celebrate this year's victories, and the champions who continue to lead our movement forward.

Look back at the night, find your favorite moments, and once again celebrate the community that made the night so special. 🧡💙💛

Check out the full album at the link in our bio—and thank you for making our 2026 Champions for Change a night to remember. 🥂

The night was kicked off with an amazing and captivating performance by @akbayansjsu—captured in this photo and many more in our full album! 

📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo album, now on Facebook! ✨

📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo album, now on Facebook! ✨

Champions for Change 2026 brought together the people who organize, lead, and fight every day for a Silicon Valley that works for everyone. We’re grateful to everyone who joined us to celebrate this year's victories, and the champions who continue to lead our movement forward.

Look back at the night, find your favorite moments, and once again celebrate the community that made the night so special. 🧡💙💛

Check out the full album at the link in our bio—and thank you for making our 2026 Champions for Change a night to remember. 🥂

📸 Relive Champions for Change with our full photo album, now on Facebook! ✨

Champions for Change 2026 brought together the peopl
The workers' rights we appreciate today didn't hap The workers' rights we appreciate today didn't happen by accident—they were fought and organized for. ✊

This past Labor Day, we brought together resources, legal experts, and the community. This resource fair was our way of connecting neighbors with real support while celebrating the wins that built the labor movement.

#LaborDay #FairWork
Thank you for celebrating another year of bold lea Thank you for celebrating another year of bold leadership and solidarity with us at our 2026 Champions for Change gala! 💐 

This incredible evening could not have been possible without our Champions for Change sponsors, table ambassadors, donors, and our community who never stops showing up for each other.

#C4C26
The eight-hour day. The weekend. The right to orga The eight-hour day. The weekend. The right to organize. Workers fought for all of it—now we're fighting for the right to shape how AI gets used at work.

From warehouse monitoring apps to algorithms that build (and rebuild) schedules without understanding real workloads, "bossware" is reshaping work across industries and leaving workers without any say in the process.

Workers deserve real rights for the 21st century: the right to know before a monitoring system is deployed, the right to human review before AI-driven discipline or firing, the right to see and correct the data collected about them, and so much more.

#PeoplesTechCoalition #TechJustice
This is what people power looks like. 💪 100+ wor This is what people power looks like. 💪 

100+ workers, neighbors, and organizers joined together in San José to launch the People’s Technology Coalition—fighting back against bossware, black-box algorithms, and surveillance creep. 

Our data. Our work. Our future!

#PeoplesTechCoalition #TechJustice
Fighting for the People in the halls of Congress 🏛 Fighting for the People in the halls of Congress 🏛️⁠
⁠
This year, we're honoring a leader who takes on bold fights in Congress and champions bills that protect and empower working families and the most vulnerable.⁠
⁠
From calling for prosecution of ICE agents terrorizing our communities to pushing back against corporate abuses, Congressman @rokhannausa is a leader who is unafraid to act before it's safe—before it's popular. ⁠
⁠
He is of the strongest supporters of the California labor movement in Congress today. Representing over 760,000 constituents in the Bay Area,  he continuously fights side by side with the labor movement to enact policies that help and protect working families. ⁠
⁠
Join us at Champions For Change 2026 on Sep 17 as we celebrate Congressman Ro Khanna as one of this year's Champions.🏆⁠
⁠
🎟️ Get your tickets today at the link in our bio!⁠
⁠
#C4C26
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