On April 25th, Ryan Sarna attended the California Apprenticeship Conference in San Diego. Conference attendees included multiple unions, association and elected officials. During the conference, there were multiple sessions that focused on pre-apprenticeship for high schools and middle schools that discussed information on the successes of pre-screening for pre-apprenticeship programs, as well as what type of space and finances are needed for a school to start and maintain a pre-apprenticeship program. The conference also boasted several guest speakers; one of the guest speakers presented on the decreasing number of apprentices in our country and suggested that unions need to organize a “cross party” political movement in order to gain wide support for apprenticeships.

**Note, the picture shows Ryan Sarna volunteering to demonstrate an arch blast suit for NFPA-70E.