Diablo Valley College Secures $1.8M State Grant to Launch Advanced Clean-Tech Apprenticeships

Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill announced on Tuesday morning that it has secured a $1.8 million workforce training grant from the California Department of Industrial Relations to launch a premier clean-technology and precision manufacturing apprenticeship program. Developed in close collaboration with East Bay industrial employers and regional labor unions, the initiative guarantees paid on-the-job training and debt-free technical credentials for more than 120 local students entering advanced energy, robotics, and aerospace careers.

Under the new apprenticeship framework, enrolled students will split their academic schedules between classroom instruction in computer numerical control (CNC) machining, advanced mechatronics, and semiconductor equipment maintenance at DVC's Pleasant Hill campus and paid corporate apprenticeships paying between $26 and $34 per hour. Participating industrial partners include Contra Costa manufacturing facilities in Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, and Fremont, with several employers offering full healthcare benefits and tuition reimbursement upon degree completion.

Contra Costa Community College District governing board trustees commended the engineering faculty for designing a direct pathway from community college coursework into high-wage industrial technical careers. Academic deans noted that regional employers face an urgent shortage of qualified precision technicians as automated clean-energy facilities expand across the Northern California manufacturing belt.

Prospective students, transitioning workers, and local employers can review program admission requirements, course schedules, and employer partner listings online at dvc.edu/workforce. Career counseling appointments and apprenticeship application assistance can be arranged by contacting the DVC Applied Technology Division Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM at (925) 685-1230. Orientation sessions for the inaugural spring 2027 cohort will begin next Tuesday evening.