Apprenticeship program gives Punjabi immigrant and former teacher an opportunity for a second career—in government
When Rachna Sharma immigrated to the United States six years ago, she was already an educated professional, having worked for years as a schoolteacher in Punjab, India. Once she came to this country, however, she had to restart her career from scratch.
Sharma moved to Sacramento with her two children and husband (to join his family, most of whom live in the area), and started to pursue becoming a teacher here. She soon realized that the approach to the profession differed from that in her home country in one key way.
“In my country, the first authority is the teacher … above the parents,” she said. Once her training moved to the classroom, and the dynamic revealed itself, she decided a career in education was no longer a good fit for her.
“I love to teach. If that part [was different], I would surely be in that profession.”
Instead, she set her sights on another career she’d hoped for back in India—working for the government.
“When I was in my country, that was my dream,” she said.
To get her foot in the door with the state of California, Sharma took a job as a custodian, cleaning offices with the Department of General Services (DGS). While there, her employer introduced the staff to a new apprenticeship opportunity with the California Community Colleges (CCC) system: a two-year program in collaboration with the state that combines a year of classes plus a year of paid on-the-job training. Sharma jumped at the chance to expand her education and skills, joining the inaugural class of the Office Technician Apprenticeship Program.
“I enjoyed the classes. I learned new things, I interacted with other people. We taught each other how to achieve our goal. I achieved it.”
Rachna Sharma, Bakersfield College Office Technician Apprentice
“It was a good opportunity for me,” she said. “I grabbed that opportunity and upgraded my knowledge.”
The Office Technician tract is one of three new apprentice programs (along with Staff Services Analyst and Personnel Specialist) at Bakersfield College that were established in collaboration with both the California DGS and the Service Employees International Union Local 1000. It’s also part of the Apprenticeship Pathways Demonstration Project, a component of the CCC system’s Vision 2030 collaborative action plan, this one recognizing apprenticeships as a key part of the state’s economic development.
Additionally, the CCC apprenticeship programs are free. “Tuition is waived,” says Ulices Mendoza, apprenticeship coordinator at Bakersfield College, adding that this is “in conjunction with the on-the-job training portion that the employers will be offering—that’s all paid experience. It’s difficult to switch careers later on in adult life, when you have a family and you have to support a household. These programs provide an opportunity for individuals to not lose that income, and also upscale in their work force and move up the economic ladder.”
The Bakersfield College courses were offered online, and Sharma completed the first half of the program remotely.
“I enjoyed the classes,” Sharma said. “I learned new things, I interacted with other people. We taught each other how to achieve our goal. I achieved it. I was the first in the program who completed classes who got a permanent job.”
For his part, Mendoza said that Sharma was “fantastic” in the program. “She was very diligent, always attentive, always asking questions.”
Sharma is now in the apprenticeship portion of the program, learning on the job as an office assistant with the California Housing Finance Agency in Sacramento.
“I told my manager, please tell everyone, those who want to step out of their comfort zone and want to do something in their life, this is a really good program,” Sharma said, adding that the CCC’s initiative might be just the nudge someone needs to make a big change: “If they give us the opportunity, we are supposed to grab it.”
For more information on the Apprenticeship Program at Bakersfield College, visit bakersfieldcollege.edu/academics/pathways/itt/apprenticeship. Find out more about the CCC’s Apprenticeship Pathways project at the Vision 2030 website: cccco.edu/About-Us/Vision-2030.
Written by Jason Cassidy
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Central California | Apprenticeships |
