From the Clubhouse to the Trades: Four Classes Cross the Stage at AltaSea
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor celebrated recent graduates of its Skilled Trades Pathway Program at a culmination ceremony on Thursday, July 23, at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. As family, friends, instructors, and Club staff looked on, members of the Welding 1, Welding 2, Carpentry 1, and Carpentry 2 classes crossed the stage, marking their completion.
The ceremony marked the end of a year of training through Career Bound, the Club's workforce development program. It helps high school-age Club members, up to age 21, build real skills and opens a direct path from the Clubhouse to a high-paying trade.
Through its Skilled Trades Pathway, the program trains Club members in four trades: welding, construction, electrical, and plumbing, with coursework preparing them for industry-recognized certifications. This year's graduates enrolled through their Clubhouses and trained throughout the year with the program's instructors, gaining hands-on experience and learning to use real tools.
Career Bound Director Dominique Marino and Skilled Trades Case Manager Jose Rodriguez, along with the instructors who trained this year's classes, offered brief remarks during the culmination. Each spoke to the work the graduates put in and the futures the program helps prepare them for.
Families and Club members filled the waterfront venue, and the ceremony also included a raffle for attendees.
The Skilled Trades Pathway Program is supported by program partner Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, whose support helps put real tools in the hands of Club teens. It is also supported by AltaSea, whose continued support includes the waterfront stage where the ceremony culminated, helping make the program's training and celebration possible.
To learn more about Career Bound and the Skilled Trades Pathway Program, visit us at bgclaharbor.org/careerbound.
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