Starting today, teenage residents at Jordan Downs, one of L.A.’s
largest public housing communities, 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.
The program is made possible by the joint efforts of Harbor
Freight Tools for Schools, the flagship program of The Smidt
Foundation, and BRIDGE Housing. BRIDGE Housing is a nonprofit
housing developer participating in the $1 billion redevelopment
effort of Jordan Downs. First built in the 1940s, Jordan Downs is
now going through a physical transformation that includes a
doubling of the number of residential units, the addition of retail
and community spaces, and new parks and open space 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 can
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."
Operating like a construction workplace, the program uses the
“earn and learn” model where students are paid 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
to participate.
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 a variety of 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
literally putting tools in young people’s hands to help them
prepare for careers.”
The hope is that students who complete this introductory program
will enroll in more comprehensive skilled trades training programs
that will result in them earning high-value industry
certifications.
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, 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.
Depending on the site, students may receive hands-on instruction
in advanced manufacturing, automotive technology, carpentry,
construction, electrical, solar installation or welding. Some
programs will include jobsite projects where they use the hands-on
skills they’ve mastered. Some program participants will earn
advanced industry credentials that can lead to entry-level
employment. Others will earn college credits.
“The Skilled Trades Summers programs are giving 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 growing interest in skilled trades
education among both students and parents. In fact, recent research
found supermajorities of L.A. County parents would encourage their
child to take a skilled trades class, regardless of whether their
child was college-bound.
The research, conducted by L.A.-based public opinion research
firm EVITARUS, included a survey of more than 1,000 respondents
across L.A. County as well as 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.
To support the Jordan Downs community redevelopment, many
residents have been hired as construction workers, among other
jobs, and no residents have been displaced from their homes. The
decades-long project led by the Housing Authority of the City of
Los Angeles (HACLA), alongside partners like BRIDGE Housing,
aspires to be a model of how large-scale redevelopment can be done
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 is providing teen residents with workforce
education and skills training that is directly connected to hiring
needs that exist right now in their community and can lead to
well-paying, quality jobs.”
For more information about the summer programs supported by
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, visit here.
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 Malina@sugermangroup.com | 310-974-6682