Pre-Apprenticeship Program-Construction (Certificate of Achievement)

Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill, CA

Cost: $1,899
Length: 16 weeks
Working 6 months later: Not reported

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

No outcomes reported for this program

About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.

The jobs this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

No regional figures for this program's city

Pleasant Hill is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

Job ads may call this: Floor Layer · Tile Setter · Tile Installer · Vinyl Installer

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Sweep, scrape, sand, or chip dirt and irregularities to clean base surfaces, correcting imperfections that may show through the covering.
Cut flooring material to fit around obstructions.
Inspect surface to be covered to ensure that it is firm and dry.
Trim excess covering materials, tack edges, and join sections of covering material to form tight joint.

Show 2 more things this job involves

Form a smooth foundation by stapling plywood or Masonite over the floor or by brushing waterproof compound onto surface and filling cracks with plaster, putty, or grout to seal pores.
Measure and mark guidelines on surfaces or foundations, using chalk lines and dividers.

Typical pay in California: $62,868per year
Projected openings: 4,590
Projected change: +8.5%
Usually needs: No formal educational credential

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: 1 to 12 months

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 41% of the people doing this work.

No high school diploma: 36%
High school diploma: 41%
Started college, no degree: 14%
Two-year degree: 4%
Four-year degree: 4%
Master's degree: 0.7%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.4%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.

Construction Laborers

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Toolman · Form Setter · Post Framer · Drop Crew Laborer

Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.

Show 2 more things this job involves

Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.

Typical pay in California: $61,903per year
Projected openings: 111,420
Projected change: +10.2%
Usually needs: No formal educational credential

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: Under a month

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 40% of the people doing this work.

No high school diploma: 34%
High school diploma: 40%
Started college, no degree: 14%
Two-year degree: 5%
Four-year degree: 6%
Master's degree: 1%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.4%

Program details

This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.

A certificate program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to residential and commercial building construction and remodeling. Includes instruction in construction equipment and safety; site preparation and layout; construction estimating; blueprint reading; building codes; framing; masonry; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical and mechanical systems; interior and exterior finishing; and plumbing.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.

The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator

Concord America`s Job Center of California / East Bay WorksComprehensive center
Phone: 925-671-4500
4071 Port Chicago HighwaySuite 250Concord, CA 94520about 5.1 miles away
Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Has a veterans' representative
East Oakland Neighborhood Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-568-8349
7200 Bancroft AvenueSuite 140Oakland, CA 94605about 13.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Unity Council Career & Resource CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-535-6101
1900 Fruitvale AvenueOakland, CA 94601about 14.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →