Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program
JobTrain · Menlo Park, CA
- Cost
- $8,000
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 57%
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
- People enrolled
- 193
- Finished the program
- 99%Based on 158 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 57%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $9,152A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The job 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.
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.
Carpenters
Job ads may call this: Framer · Carpenter · Cabinet Maker · Form Carpenter
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
- Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Assemble and fasten materials to make frameworks or props, using hand tools and wood screws, nails, dowel pins, or glue.
- Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.
- Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
- Cover subfloors with building paper to keep out moisture and lay hardwood, parquet, or wood-strip-block floors by nailing floors to subfloor or cementing them to mastic or asphalt base.
- Construct forms or chutes for pouring concrete.
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) | $60,481 | $95,626 | $140,340 |
| Across California | $48,777 | $77,977 | $123,200 |
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
- $77,977per yearSan Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: $84,001
- Projected openings
- 110,410San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 6,030
- Projected change
- +6.4%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- An apprenticeship
People usually enter this job through an apprenticeship rather than from a classroom course alone. Ask the provider whether this program leads to one.
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.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
JobTrain's Carpentry Program focuses on the general study of Carpentry such as reading blueprints, proper use and safety of power tools, framing, roofing, basic pumbling and electrical. Upon completing the training one qualifies to enter the carpenters' union as a pre-apprentice.
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
NOVAworksComprehensive center
Phone: 408-730-7232
456 W. Olive AvenueSunnyvale City HallSunnyvale, CA 94086about 9.1 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Ohlone Tri-Cities Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-742-2323
39399 Cherry StreetOhlone College Newark: Center for Health Sciences and Technology Room 1211Newark, CA 94560about 10.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. & Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Closed Fridays during Summer)
America`s Job Center of California- FremontAffiliate site
Phone: 510-794-3669
39155 Liberty StreetFremont Family Resource Center ,Suite B200Fremont, CA 94538about 12.4 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri 8 AM - 5 PM
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 →