Students get paid while participating in unique
program that helps prepare them for supply chain jobs of the
future
With sparks flying at a series of workstations, dozens of Harbor
area teens demonstrated new skills in welding and construction
thanks to their participation in an innovative skilled trades
summer program where they get hands-on experience, earn valuable
industry-based credentials and get paid.
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A student from the Boys and Girls Clubs
of Los Angeles Harbor demonstrates his welding skills after
participating in the L.A. County Skilled Trades Summers program
that pays teens to learn in-demand trades. (Photo: Business
Wire)
The programs for teens are offered by the Boys and Girls Clubs
of the Los Angeles Harbor (BGCLAH) and Port of Los Angeles High
School. Both are part of Skilled Trades Summers, an initiative of
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, the flagship program of The Smidt
Foundation.
These Harbor area students learn important foundational skills
from experienced skilled trades instructors. At the same time, case
managers from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor
with expertise in workforce development provide students with
one-on-one support to build employment skills to help them find
jobs and achieve employment success.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is focused on supporting
skilled trades education in Southern California port communities
because of the strong workforce development partnerships in the
area and the job opportunities in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long
Beach supply chains.
“We anticipate that many of the students who receive their
certifications will go on to work within the San Pedro Bay port
complex, the nation’s largest,” said Belen Vargas, senior director
of Los Angeles County programs for Harbor Freight Tools for
Schools. “For many students, a skilled trades education is a
pathway to a rewarding career. For others, it helps bring focus and
motivation for further academic achievement and prepares them for
college.”
During the skilled trades showcase attended by local education,
civic and business leaders, students were hard at work on a variety
of projects. Six welding stations, as well as two stations each for
electrical, plumbing and construction, were buzzing with
activity.
“Providing paid opportunities for young people to learn
essential skills over the summer is an important part of our City’s
workforce development efforts,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Harbor Freight Tools for Schools has created an enriching learning
experience for young Angelenos to benefit from skilled trades
training no matter the career or education pathway they ultimately
choose. These are skills Angelenos need to build a bright future
for themselves and the City of Los Angeles.”
"I am inspired by the dedication shown by these young people in
the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program,” said Councilmember
Tim McOsker. “Through hands-on experience this summer, they are
learning valuable skills and, importantly, preparing for a
successful career. This program is crucial in fostering talent in
our community and meeting the workforce needs in our own backyard,
the Port of Los Angeles.”
The BGCLAH has recruited 42 Harbor area students to participate
in and complete a 92-hour summer program in welding or
construction, where they will prepare to earn valuable
industry-based credentials. Many of these students will then have
the opportunity to enroll in and complete a more demanding 140-hour
school-year skilled trades program.
The school-year program will offer more advanced skilled trades
education and prepare them for advanced credentials and
certifications, setting students up for success as they graduate
from high school. Last month, the Weingart Foundation – in honor of
Miriam Muscarolas’ 16 years of impactful service on the Weingart
Foundation’s Board of Directors – awarded a $700,000, five-year
catalytic grant to strengthen, sustain and grow the school-year
skilled trades program. “This program prepares young people for
career and life success, and aligns with my deep commitment to
education, workforce development, financial opportunity and
economic justice,” Muscarolas said.
“These are incredibly demanding programs, and we are proud to
recruit, support, and sustain groups of highly motivated high
school students who are putting in the hard work to learn skilled
trades,” said Mike Lansing, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the
Los Angeles Harbor. “Learning these skills in high school enables
students to have strong career and educational choices after
graduation.”
Employees with these skills are in high demand as Southern
California continues to build out its trade, transportation, and
electrical infrastructure, and develop commercial-scale campuses to
support medical, education, and business uses. Yet, this type of
skilled trades education has all but been eliminated in Los Angeles
County high schools.
Today, fewer than 1 in 5 public high schools in L.A. County’s 80
school districts offer any type of skilled trades education. Merely
20 schools across the County offer classes in construction and only
one offers an electrical course, despite nationwide labor shortages
in these high-paying fields. In Southern California, an electrician
or entry level utility lineman can earn an annual salary of
anywhere from $65,000 to $100,000.
Julianna Espinoza, who participated in last summer’s welding
program at Port of Los Angeles High School, said access to skilled
trades education in high school is particularly valuable. “This is
a great opportunity,” she said. “Why wait until you get to college
or outside of high school to take on this new skill when you can do
it in high school and already have a head start?”
Students and parents connected to BGCLAH were among more than
1,000 Los Angeles County participants in a recent public opinion
survey showing that nearly seven in 10 Los Angeles County high
school students would consider taking a skilled trades class if it
were offered; and supermajorities of parents would encourage their
child to take a skilled trades class, regardless of whether their
child was college-bound.
The research, conducted last year by L.A.-based public opinion
research firm EVITARUS, found students wanted the opportunity to
learn about skilled trades because it could lead to finding a
passion, getting internships and other early job experiences.
“We asked students what they want for their future, and we found
a deep interest in finding pathways to fulfilling, well-paying
careers, such as the skilled trades, that offer them the chance to
live and work in their own community,” said lead researcher and
EVITARUS managing partner Shakari Byerly.
Receiving skilled trade certifications is unique for high school
students and helps put them on a path to a stable, in-demand and
good-paying career. Students in the welding program take the
American Welding Society certification exam after completing the
program.
Students in the construction program are currently learning to
build mini homes to learn skills in carpentry, plumbing and
electricity. Upon program completion, students take the highly
respected National Center for Construction Education & Research
certification exam.
To learn more, please visit hftforschools.org.
About Harbor Freight Tools for
Schools
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is the flagship program of The
Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and
founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education
in U.S. public high schools. With a deep respect for the dignity of
these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who
work with their hands, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to
drive a greater understanding of and investment in skilled trades
education, believing that access to quality skilled trades
education gives high school students pathways to graduation,
opportunity, good jobs and a workforce our country needs. Harbor
Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for
Schools program. For more information, visit: HFTforschools.org
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS and THE SMIDT FOUNDATION are
registered trademarks owned or licensed by The Smidt
Foundation.
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Malina Brown 310-974-6682