In a quest to support south LA youth, two campaigns created programs through a joint venture. The various programs focus on the development of a skill or curation of an experience, while simultaneously helping the city in different ways. During the summer, a joint effort between Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and BRIDGE Housing created an opportunity for teens in the Jordan Downs housing development in Watts among other communities to earn money while developing new skills.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a 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.
Teens will earn a salary
Teens will earn a paycheck while learning hands-on skills like carpentry and welding, launching them on pathways to careers in industries facing strong demand and a critical lack of qualified workers. Students will complete 40 hours of hands-on project work to practice foundational trade skills, such as plumbing, electrical wiring, welding, and framing a mini house. Students will also master basic skills that apply to construction disciplines, including safety, measurement, site prep, and clean-up.
“The transformation of Jordan Downs goes far beyond buildings–it’s about quality of life for residents,” said BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. “We jumped at the opportunity to partner with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools because we’re putting tools in young people’s hands to help them prepare for careers.”
BRIDGE Housing is a nonprofit housing developer involved with the $1 billion redevelopment effort of Jordan Downs. First built in the 1940s, Jordan Downs is now going through a physical transformation that includes doubling the number of residential units, adding retail and community spaces, and new parks and open spaces for residents.
“The City of Los Angeles is committed to providing opportunity to all Angelenos. The launch of this program will equip young Angelenos with hands-on experience and essential skills that help them succeed now and in the future,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “I want to recognize Harbor Freight Tools for Schools for establishing this real-world learning model and for your work to ensure L.A.’s skilled workforce remains strong.”
‘Earn and learn’
Operating like a construction workplace, the program uses the “earn and learn” model, where students earn a wage while developing meaningful skills that can lead to future employment. The 15 high school-aged residents participating in the summer’s pilot program at Jordan Downs were recruited by community-based service providers.
Jordan Downs is one of eight program sites in communities stretching from San Pedro to La Mirada to Canoga Park that are taking part in L.A. County Skilled Trades Summers. It is an initiative of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools that aims to introduce teens to meaningful skilled trades careers and give them foundational skills for success well before they graduate.
In support of the Jordan Downs community redevelopment project, the Housing Authority of the City of the Los Angeles (HACLA) hired residents as construction workers and other jobs to ensure they are not displaced from their homes. Alongside partner BRIDGE Housing, they lead the decades-long project with the aspiration to be a model of how large-scale redevelopment can be right.
“At HACLA, we are investing in the properties at Jordan Downs and the people who live here,” said Doug Guthrie, president and CEO of HACLA. “This program provides teen residents with workforce education and skills training directly connected to hiring needs that exist right now in their community and can lead to well-paying, quality jobs.”
Other sites offered different programs and benefits. Canoga Park Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACE) taught students the basics of construction skills and helped students complete the first component of solar installation credentialing. Program participants used these skills to repair and upgrade the sites of local schools and community centers.
Artesia High School offered students six-week, 40-hour-per-week auto repair and welding programs where students master basic skills and earn advanced industry certifications. Students may receive dual college enrollment at Cerritos College and will receive training and may test for valuable AWS and ASE industry certifications. Teacher Marty Supple runs the automotive summer program, which focuses on teaching students about steering and suspension systems.
“Students shined in our program, arriving early and focused every single day,” Supple said. “The students showed great motivation and collaborated effectively with each other.”
Students throughout the Port of Los Angeles community earn high-value industry credentials in welding and construction. Boys and Girls Club coordinators provided one-on-one support to promote subsequent job placement and employment success.
CA Advancing Pathways for Students hosted students from multiple high schools for four weeks to teach them the basics of carpentry, electrical, and plumbing for their tiny house project, which they completed. Students also earned OSHA 10 and First Aid certification.
High-tech instruction
Da Vinci Schools, El Segundo/Hawthorne offered high school students a two-week Advanced Manufacturing program enabling 30 students from multiple high schools to complete hands-on projects using CAD software, laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC machines, and welding equipment. The program encouraged creative thinking and problem-solving by engaging students in projects that require the application of multiple manufacturing techniques. They developed teamwork and collaboration skills through group projects, reflective of real-world scenarios in the manufacturing industry, where teamwork is essential.
The Port of Los Angeles High School (POLAHS) in San Pedro hosted students offering skilled trade pathways at their schools during the year. For the summer, they took advanced courses in Pipe Welding, plumbing, TIG Welding, and electrical. POLAHS partnered with Dynamic Education to offer construction and welding courses. El Camino College taught automotive technology instruction, where students earned dual enrollment course credit. Students earned high-value advanced industry-based credentials from the American Welding Society (AWS) and the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER).
“The Skilled Trades Summers programs gave teens a chance to discover a world of options for their future that they may have never known existed,” said Belen Vargas, Senior Director of L.A. County Programs at Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “For some students, it may uncover new talents and interests. And for others, it could be the first step towards a financially stable and fulfilling career.”
The summer programs reflect the growing interest in skilled trades education among students and parents. Recent research found that parents in L.A. County would support their child taking a skilled trades class, regardless of their child’s college plans.
The research, conducted by L.A.-based public opinion research firm EVITARUS, included a survey of over 1,000 respondents across L.A. County, and focus groups of parents in South L.A. held in partnership with Community Coalition and Brotherhood Crusade.
Today, fewer than 1 in 5 public high schools in L.A. County offer any type of skilled trades education, despite nationwide labor shortages in these high-paying fields.