From left: Fernando Arellano, SoCal Floor Covering JATC apprentice; David Romero, coordinator; Palmer Ferguson, Halex sales manager and Tony Dominguez, technical services manager.

Apprentice Fernando Arellano was rewarded with over $1,500 of Orcon carpet installation tools in recognition of his exceptional academic achievements at the Southern California Floor Covering Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) meeting.

In addition, apprentices Oscar Tapia, Abel Aranda and Steven Valdez were also given Orcon tools to reward their academic excellence.

The award ceremony was presented by David Romero, coordinator at the Southern California Floor Covering JATC, and Tony Dominguez, technical services manager at Halex Corp., Orcon's parent company.

“I know firsthand how challenging it is to start out in this industry with working full time and being a student," he said. "But with these Orcon tools, the apprentices are off to a great start to becoming journeymen."

The participants in the program were able to learn the trade through 80 hours of coursework supplemented by sponsoring companies’ training.

For more information, visit dc36.org.