Check out the progress of the Northern Region Caltrans Heavy Highway Construction Trades Academy! The Heavy Highway Construction Trades Academy is a program that Caltrans has established in order to give opportunity to individuals who want to begin their career in trade work. It’s a program which anyone can apply for, but there is a limit to how many trainees can be taken on each year. For this reason, only the folks with high potential of success in the field have been selected for this training program. Shane Drummond, BLR Facilities Maintenance Tech and Tate Morgan, BLR Facilities Maintenance Tech are trainees in this course, and Blue Lake Rancheria (BLR) is looking forward to seeing their journey as they work towards completing the academy.
The trainees participating in this course have had a long few weeks, learning all about the Heavy Highway Construction Industry. Currently, the need for skilled trade workers is at an all-time high. Throughout the Caltrans Heavy Highway Construction Trades Academy, trainees are learning concrete & asphalt basics, blueprint reading, construction layout and applied math, basics of land grade, load securement, commercial vehicle inspection, excavation and trenching safety, employee wellness, and more. The trainees were able to learn how to operate heavy equipment through the use of advanced simulators first, now this week they were able to put their knowledge to the test in the field at BLR.
Contractor Day was recently held on Thursday, August 14th at BLR. Contractor Day provides an opportunity for Caltrans industry partners to observe trainees operating heavy equipment, evaluate their skills, and consider their potential contribution to their companies. Over the course of Contractor Day, trainees operated dozers, loaders, excavators, rollers, skid steers, backhoes, and more.
Originally Published: 8/16/2025