California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was in the Inland Empire today for a higher education tour. She toured the Chaffey College Industrial Technical (InTech) Learning Center in Fontana.
InTech is the first public-private partnership model that allows students to learn in-demand trade skills that lead to well-paying jobs. InTech also offers apprenticeship programs that allow students to be paid while learning new workforce skills. The facility trains students in things like welding and robotics.
Kounalakis participated in a welding demonstration and learned how to operate a cobot, a robot commonly used in industrial applications.
She emphasized the importance of unique workforce training programs like InTech’s.
“It's important for us at the state level to see these very successful programs, because it gives us more information about the kinds of programs we should be looking at trying to replicate,” said Kounalakis.
Kounalakis also joined a round-table discussion with alumni of InTech, who shared their experiences with the program.
Later in the day, Kounalakis toured Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus.