Patti Dillon Interview with Marge Nielsen A Model Apprenticeship Program: Santiago Canyon College Patti Dillon, Director of Apprenticeship Programs at Santiago Canyon College, directs one of the largest apprenticeship programs in California. She began working for Rancho Santiago Community College District in November 1981 as a clerical assistant and worked herself up to her current position as Director.

What are apprenticeships and how do they work?
Apprentices receive on-the-job training via their employer, and then in the evening or weekend receive employer selected “related and supplemental instruction” (RSI). Colleges are usually not the instigators of apprenticeship programs.

Normally a company or a group of companies, contractors, or business people decide that they want to begin an apprenticeship program, and they form an apprenticeship committee. One of the first steps of the committee is to find a Local Educational Agency, which might be a community college. Once the college agrees to become the LEA, the college and the committee work together to develop and write the curriculum. The curriculum is submitted to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for approval.

The committee also establishes the on-the-job training hours, procedures, and requirements. They are responsible for submitting the information and the program’s course outlines to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for their approval.

How do you work with the apprenticeships?
My job with apprenticeships is to provide the necessary link between the Program Sponsors (employers) and the California Community College system. We are called the Local Educational Agency or LEA.

I work with the program sponsor directors and coordinators to ensure that the curriculum is college-level, the instructors are qualified to teach college level courses, the needed courses are scheduled every semester, and that attendance hours and grades are recorded.

What type of apprenticeships do you offer through Santiago Canyon College?
We offer 14 programs including carpentry, cosmetology, sound electrician, and operating engineer.

How many students do you register in your program?
For the spring 2007 semester, we had 7,494 apprentice “seats” in 562 course sections. We had a total of 15, 507 apprenticeship seats in 1,136 course sections for the academic year. If one student is in one class, the count is “one seat.” However, if the apprentice is in two classes, he/she is counted as “two seats.” Most students are in one class, so we have many different students that we assist in the program.

How do students enter into the program?
Entrance into all programs depends on the availability of jobs. We have had plenty of work within the past few years. However, some programs only accept applications at certain times. All of the requirements are different for the different programs. The programs’ length varies from 2 – 5 years. The link on our website gives details to the different programs. Go to http://www.sccollege.edu/apps/comm.asp?Q=61 for more information on each program.

What is the cost of the college coursework?
All enrollment fees are waived for apprenticeships. Students only have to purchase textbooks and supplies. There are no enrollment fees or non-resident tuition or health fees.

How do apprenticeships work?
Students learn their trade through a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Apprentices work under a journey worker, when they are on the job. They receive wages and benefits, while they work.

At the end of their training, apprentices receive journey worker cards and certificates from the California State Division of Apprenticeship Standards. College credit is earned for the related and supplemental instruction in the classroom. Certificates of completion from the college are available in all apprenticeships. Associate Degrees are available in most of them.

Where are the apprenticeships located?
Most our apprenticeship programs cover Southern California. For more information on other apprenticeship programs working with community colleges, contact Barry Noonan in the California Community College Chancellor’s Office at bnoonan@cccco.edu or 916.445.8026.

Note:
The community colleges have approximately 16,200 apprentices enrolled in over 160 apprenticeship programs, which comprise 66 trades that are located on 39 campuses. For more information, contact Barry Noonan, CCCCO's Apprenticeship Coordinator, at bnoonan@cccco.edu. For apprenticeship resources, go to http://www.cccco.edu/divisions/esed/cte/programs/apprenticeship/ap_program_resources.htm

For more information on Santiago Canyon College’s Program:
Patti Dillon
Apprenticeship Programs
Santiago Canyon College
714.628.4888
Dillon_Patti@sccollege.edu