April 24, 2026 - Starting on Sunday, we’re celebrating one of our favorite times of year – National Apprenticeship Week! Taking place from April 26th-May 2nd, this week honors skilled apprenticeships and the hard work and talent of labor apprentices.
At the UWUA, we participate in several different apprenticeship programs. For example, we’re very proud of the Utility Worker Military Assistance Program (UMAP). UMAP provides utility training for military veterans, ensuring good union jobs are waiting for those who’ve chosen to serve our country. To learn more, click here.
There’s also the Power for America Training Trust Fund, or P4A. P4A believes strongly in the union-training-union model. P4A union instructors provided 81,000 training hours last year in new skills including safety, specialty utility sectors, and more. To learn more about P4A, watch the video here!
P4A also works with our members at Cal Water and the California Water Utility Council on their Safety Advocate Program, an initiative funding three full-time safety advocate positions responsible for field audits, training programs, and peer-to-peer education. You can read more on that program here.
We know that good apprenticeships are the foundation of our union’s future. Nothing is more important than passing down the knowledge of experienced union members to the next generation. That doesn’t just mean skills and safety training, but also advice on how to organize, advocate, and be in solidarity with the labor movement.
