Apparel Construction
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco, CA
- Cost
- $1,007
- Length
- 52 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
No outcomes reported for this program
About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -9.6%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Related work California expects more of
The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licenses and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.
- Graphic Designers$77,233 · +1.2% · 43 programs here
- Commercial and Industrial Designers$103,591 · +1.9% · 3 programs here
- Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers$48,326 · +2.7% · 1 program here
- Costume Attendants$73,855 · +12.5% · No programs here train for it
Where California publishes a separate figure for San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Fashion Designers
Job ads may call this: Designer · Fashion Stylist · Apparel Designer · Costume Designer
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
- Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
- Determine prices for styles.
- Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
- Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
- Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
- Develop a group of products or accessories, and market them through venues such as boutiques or mail-order catalogs.
- Typical pay in California
- Not reportedSan Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: $85,922
- Projected openings
- 6,620San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 160
- Projected change
- -3.7%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Tailor · Dressmaker · Seamstress · Custom Sewer
- Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
- Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
- Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
- Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
- Trim excess material, using scissors.
- Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
What this pays in San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $41,471 | $50,580 | $69,199 |
| Across California | $36,637 | $45,372 | $65,808 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $45,372per yearSan Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: $49,646
- Projected openings
- 6,190San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 150
- Projected change
- -9.6%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
The program takes students from basic sewing skills through the advanced construction techniquesand sequences used to sew complex garments in the fashion industry.Students learn both home and industry methods for proper garment construction and fitting.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Human Services Agency of San FranciscoAffiliate site
Phone: 415-401-4800
3120 Mission StreetHSA-Mission OfficeSan Francisco, CA 94110about 2.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
EDD Workforce Service - San Francisco Civic CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 415-749-7503
801 Turk StreetEDD BuildingSan Francisco, CA 94102-3117about 4.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Has a veterans' representative
Goodwill Centralized Job CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 415-575-4570
750 Post StreetGoodwill of the San Francisco BaySan Francisco, CA 94109about 4.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00am-4:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →