The Californer - California: Governor Newsom visits Pasadena City College construction trades lab helping LA rebuild

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May 1, 2026

Governor Newsom visits Pasadena City College construction trades lab helping LA rebuild

LA Rises-funded workforce training to speed LA recovery

What you need to know: Governor Newsom was in Pasadena today visiting a workforce training program preparing trade workers, including construction builders and welders that will help speed LA recovery.

PASADENA – Closing out National Apprenticeship Week, Governor Newsom today visited Pasadena City College to see firsthand the benefits of LA Rises investments helping to expand a construction trades lab and speed LA recovery. The Governor first announced the $2.8 million philanthropic contribution from the Walter Family Foundation through LA Rises in January.

Wildfires have changed the scale of what this region needs, not just in homes, but in people with the skills to rebuild them. Today brought me hope and optimism, both for LA's ongoing recovery and the future of our state's workforce. A career in skilled trades can open doors and help boost incomes. I am grateful for Pasadena City College and all of the community colleges across the state that are connecting Californians with new skills and a stronger future.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The investment in the Construction Trades Lab also continues the Governor's commitment to boost apprenticeship and earn-learn-opportunities to help workers succeed even without a college degree. More than 674,735 opportunities, including almost 245,000 registered apprenticeships have been created across the state since 2019, surpassing the Governor's goal of creating 500,000 apprenticeships by 2029.

"The Construction Trades Lab at Pasadena City College provides earn-and-learn opportunities through hands-on training, industry-recognized skills, and a direct line to good jobs," said Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. This model builds on the Governor's Master Plan on Career Education, aligning education and industry so students can step into careers with both confidence and a paycheck."

"In the wake of the Eaton Fire, our community needed a path forward; we needed partnership, urgency, and faith in our capacity to rebuild, and Governor Gavin Newsom has brought all three. He understands that recovery is not only measured in rebuilt structures, but in rebuilt lives," said José A. Gómez, president of Pasadena City College. "Under Governor Gavin Newsom's leadership, California is turning loss into learning, learning into livelihood, and livelihood into the skilled hands that will raise our communities again. His visit to Pasadena City College brings that leadership and vision into action, where education and recovery meet, and where the next generation of skilled workers is preparing to rebuild and renew our communities."

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Investing in Apprenticeships

Governor Newsom's Master Plan for Career Education is devoted to expanding youth apprenticeships by enhancing career pathways in high school, strengthening workforce training for young people, and bolstering regional partnerships in communities. Apprenticeships are central to the Jobs First Initiative, the state's strategy to grow industries by leveraging the unique strengths of each region.

In alignment with Governor Newsom's plan, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) has expanded apprenticeships and earn‑and‑learn opportunities to provide more Californians with a pathway to a good-paying job.

This week, the Governor also announced $13.2 million awarded in California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship grants. The COYA program serves out-of- school and unemployed youth ages 16 to 24. Through both pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, these workers learn and practice the necessary skills to gain upward mobility and find long-term employment. California has awarded $59.8 million to 80 programs connecting opportunity youth with jobs in high-demand fields.

This adds to other investments to create a stronger workforce including:

$68 million in funding to boost apprenticeship programs, create new jobs, and fill labor shortages;
$37 million in funding to support more than 60,000 workers and apprentices statewide.
$26 million to recruit more women into construction careers;
$20 million in construction apprenticeships to meet infrastructure needs;
$10 million for programs that help farmworkers adjust to the ever-changing demands of the farming industry, providing access to education, career services, and training;
$18.6 million to increase equitable access to High Road jobs, with $4.3 million earmarked for healthcare sector projects; and
$80 million in California Jobs First funding for projects that will create 23,000 new jobs.

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