Since its inception , when it was founded as a “ renewable energy education center ” in 1994 , the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity ( Rising Sun ) has helped more than 3,000 women , people of color , youth and those from re-entry backgrounds set out on the path to success by offering top-notch construction preapprenticeship training , as well as green jobs training and employment opportunities .
Rising Sun works in tandem with the Alameda County Project Stabilization / Community Benefits Agreement ( PS / CBA ) by aligning with its apprenticeship programs and its longterm goal of providing more opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups in the construction trades .
“ In 2014 , we became a pre-apprenticeship for the union building and construction trades ,” says Julia Hatton , President and CEO of Rising Sun Opportunity Center , discussing the beginnings of Rising Sun ’ s Opportunity Build training program . “ The construction industry is at the forefront of building a more sustainable future . At the same time , unions offer the gold standard for job quality and economic mobility .”
As part of the Opportunity Build program , Rising Sun launched an all-women cohort ,
Women Building the Bay , which was the very first of its kind and remains one of the only all-women training programs in the nation . As Julia explains , “ We saw a need for increasing the representation of women in the trades , and we decided to prioritize women in our pre-apprenticeship program . There is just so much power in those cohorts : the power of women learning together , building community , breaking barriers to enter historically maledominated industries , and building their own pathways to success . I couldn ’ t have more respect for these women and the women in all of our Opportunity Build cohorts .”
“ There is just so much power in those cohorts : the power of women learning together , building community , breaking barriers to enter historically male-dominated industries , and building their own pathways to success .”
- Julia Hatton , President & CEO , Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
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