SAN LEANDRO, Calif., August 10, 2016 -- The Summer Trades Program, launched this summer, provided a group of students from San Leandro Unified School District high schools valuable insight into career options after graduation and a chance to experience hands on job training. The pilot program was a collaborative effort between the city, the school district and the local trades council.

 

Students enrolled in the two week program spent time with representatives from the electricians, sheet metal workers and painters unions. They learned about training and job opportunities and also participated in a specific activity in each trade. During the second week students worked as a group, using their newly acquired painting skills to paint a school district portable.

 

The city has an agreement with the trades for priority hiring for San Leandro residents on projects over one million dollars. The trades also provide free classes, training and mentorship during the apprenticeship period when someone joins a union.

 

“Through this program, we are starting to put our own kids in the pipeline for potential jobs in the trades,” said Councilman Lee Thomas who helped launch the pilot program.

 

Partnering with the school district provided a unique opportunity to connect the program with the school curriculum helping students understand the importance of staying in school.

 

“The Summer Trades program was transformative for these kids because they gained confidence and realized they could be successful in this work. They also saw that things they learn at school do apply to jobs in the real world,” said Josh Kampling, Career and College Seminar Teacher at Lincoln Alternative Education Center.

 

During the program Kampling partnered with Christine Tervalon-Garrett, of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County to ensure the 10 participating students had a valuable experience and looked for ways to improve and expand the program in the future. The feedback from the students was very favorable with most wanting to extend the half-day program.

 

The team has already met to debrief on the program and plan for next year with a goal of expanding the program.

 

“Our goal is to do this program again and would like to see this year’s group of kids come back in leadership roles next year," said Councilman Thomas.

 

Anthony Huerta, a senior at Lincoln participated in the program and is already planning to return next year because of the invaluable experience he gained. “The program really gave me a good look into what I can do with my future,” said Huerta. “The hands-on work was hard but really fun.”