Apprenticeship Preparation Program

Frank came to our Apprenticeship Preparation Program after cycling in and out of incarceration since he was just 16 years old. “I was going in circles. I didn’t see any purpose in my life.”

After getting out and getting sober nearly 22 years later, Frank was working odd construction jobs. Often, he says, he’d work 12 hours days for little pay. “I wanted to do something different with my life. I didn’t want to stay stuck where I was at. I needed a change in my life.”

That all changed this summer when he heard about the Apprenticeship Preparation Program. When he got the call that he had been accepted to the cohort, he said, “I knew that my life was going to take a turn for the better — it felt right.”

He spent ten weeks with a cohort of nine learning construction basics and hands-on skills. “Even as our days finished, I always got something out of it,” he shared. But the program taught him most about himself.

He shares that Flintridge supports formerly incarcerated individuals in all aspects, from things like getting a driver’s license back to securing housing. “I don’t call it a program — we’re family in this place. I’ve been to a lot of programs, but the whole atmosphere at Flintridge is different. Everybody believed in me,” Frank said. 

Frank graduated just before the end of last year. Frank got an offer to join the laborers union shortly after he graduated from the Apprenticeship Preparation Program. He officially completed his orientation and started work with a drywall company. Frank shares, “I believe that I’m going to succeed. All the things I’ve wanted in life, now I know I can do it.”