Teens from Jordan Downs Community in Watts Getting Paid to Learn Skilled Trades This Summer

Program is Part of the $1-Billion Redevelopment Effort of Jordan Downs

Teenage residents at Jordan Downs, one of L.A.’s largest public housing communities, will earn a paycheck this summer 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 doubling the number of residential units and adding retail and community spaces along with 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 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 their 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 job site 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.

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.