NEWS RELEASE (Release No. 9-15)                                       Contact: Tyrone Jue, 415-554-3247

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 10, 2015

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Labor Leaders Dedicate New Gleneagles Golf Course Training Academy to Laborers’ Union Leader Mario De La Torre

San Francisco, CA – On Wednesday evening, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee dedicated the new Gleneagles Golf Course Training Academy to local Laborer leader and legend, Mario De La Torre. At the helm of both San Francisco’s Laborers’ Union, LiUNA!, and the International Union, De La Torre has spent a career advocating for the hard working men and women in the building and construction trades. The new Mario De La Torre academy will train low-skilled workers in golf course maintenance, paving the way for these workers to secure stable careers with good wages and health benefits in the golf course operation or construction industries.

“Mario De La Torre is more than a legend in the labor community; he’s a role model that will inspire a whole new generation of union apprentices starting right here in San Francisco at Gleneagles Golf Course,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. “Thanks to the concerted efforts of our City family, Laborers’ Union and the Gleneagles Golf Course operators, this new public-private partnership will serve a dual function for San Francisco by satisfying the golfing, recreational needs of our community while training our City’s future workforce.

Gleneagles is located in the section of San Francisco that typically needs job-training resources like the Mario De La Torre Training Academy. The new Gleneagles Training Academy will provide a useful "classroom" experience for low income workers who are part of federal workforce programs, such as JobsNow! The goal of the Academy is to provide a much higher level of mentorship, job readiness, accountability, skillset-building than any program in the state or nation.

“The new Mario De La Torre Gleneagles Training Academy is another example how the City can creatively utilize public space through partnerships to improve the economic vitality of San Francisco,” said San Francisco City Administrator Naomi Kelly.

 At the Gleneagles Academy, trainees, known as "pre-apprentices" will be put through a hands-on, six-week training curriculum administered by the Laborers' Community Training Foundation (LCTF).  The trainees will complete the "pre-apprenticeship" program at Gleneagles Training Academy, receive a California state "pre-apprenticeship certificate" recognized by various unions and then have complete a more rigorous "apprenticeship" program at a local union.  Once they have completed their "apprenticeship" training, trainees can apply for a job at a local golf course or one of the many construction jobs in the City.

"The SFPUC has proudly supported training our future workforce and creating job pipelines through our projects,” said SFPUC General Manager Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. We are pleased to be supporting efforts that will lead to a better trained water and wastewater construction workforce.”

“Gleneagles will now serve more than just recreational golf needs,” said Gleneagles operator Tom Hsieh. “It will serve the needs of the neighborhoods by creating career pathways in golf maintenance and construction.”

The Mario De La Torre Gleneagles Training Academy is a joint, public-private partnership between the private operators of Gleneagles Golf Course, the City’s Real Estate Department, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Laborers’ Union, LiUNA!

We are proud to host the Mario De La Torre Training Academy at Gleneagles," said Phil Ginsburg General Manager of the Recreation and Park Department.  "Our city's parks and open spaces depend on the hard-working men and women of the Laborers’ Union and we are thrilled to collaborate on this project."

“We believe that the Gleneagles Training Academy will act as a live 60 acre classroom where pre-apprenticeship trainees can learn hard skills with hand and power tools, as well as soft skills like teamwork, communication and safety," said Leonard Gonzalez, director of the Laborers' Community Training Foundation. "We will get them ready for a more rigorous apprenticeship program, then help transition them into the workforce with good paying jobs."

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