Fair trade
Press-Telegram 5/11/07
That leaves a dangerous number of students at risk for a life of low-paying service sector jobs. The fine trade programs at Long Beach City College and Cerritos College are better options for those who forgo a formal education.
Bellflower, Lakewood, Long Beach, Norwalk and surrounding cities in southeastern Los Angeles County don't need more unskilled workers, but there is a need for electricians, nurses, aerospace technicians, auto mechanics and trade journeymen. LBCC, Cerritos and other colleges offer programs that lead to secure blue collar jobs that often pay salaries on par with some professions.
That is why we raise our wrenches in support of a new program at Jordan High School that will prepare students for careers in architecture, construction and engineering. We hope students wise enough to participate in this program end up advancing themselves in college after they graduate.
Those who don't go on to college, or delay the decision, will at least get some training for decent-paying jobs in building, drafting and related fields. They will learn how to do something with their hands - and minds - that goes beyond asking, "Can I take your order?" They will learn math, measuring and, most of all, problem-solving.
About 60 students plan to begin the program in fall, but the program is expected to grow to 300 or 400 students by 2010. Funding came from the Long Beach Unified School District and the city, largely because of a strong push by Mayor Bob Foster to restore trade programs.
Foster, of course, began his working life covering floors. And, as his example illustrates, working in the trades doesn't preclude a white collar career; he became an executive at Southern California Edison.
The self-sufficiency of a steady trade paycheck can allow the time and means to attend college at night and on the weekends.
Here's another great thing about the skilled trades: demand. Employers hound LBCC to train more skilled workers. Maybe one day they'll start calling Jordan.