FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 18, 2024

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LAX Public Relations
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HIRELAX APPRENTICESHIP READINESS PROGRAM CELEBRATES 500 GRADUATES

LOS ANGELES — Today, the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program achieved a significant milestone, marking over 500 students to complete the program with the graduation of its 22nd cohort. Graduates celebrated their achievements among families, friends, program staff, and members of the Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners and executive team. Invited speakers included U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners President Karim Webb, Los Angeles Southwest College President Anthony Culpepper, and Los Angeles/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council Representative Chad Boggio.

"HireLAX has been a critical steppingstone for Angelenos to begin rewarding careers that shape the future of our airports and our city," said Karim Webb, President, Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners. "Our graduates leave their marks on the infrastructure they build, the local economies they support through high wages, and their communities as examples of what's possible with dedication, perseverance and the willingness to seize opportunities.”

The HireLAX program is a unique workforce development program that prepares local residents for skilled craft labor careers to support the multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The eight-week course introduces students to various construction trades through in-class training covering construction best practices, mathematics, physical education, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and other relevant subjects. The courses, which are led by lecturers and industry professionals, are complemented by support services offered by nonprofit and civic organizations.

Upon graduation, participants are considered "apprenticeship-ready," able to pursue union apprenticeship positions that can lead to jobs working on projects at LAWA airports or throughout the region. This helps LAWA meet or exceed its goal of 30 percent local hire participation in its capital improvement projects.

The program's first cohort had 26 graduates in November 2017. Today's graduation adds 25 to the program's 477 graduates from past cohorts, achieving a total of 502 graduates across the program's six-year history. To date, HireLAX graduates have earned a cumulative total of more than $20 million in wages, with an average hourly wage of $47.60. Graduates have worked more than 436,000 hours on projects across the region, with 81 graduates currently placed on capital improvement projects at LAX.

HireLAX earned national attention in 2022, following a visit to LAX by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who described it as an example of how similar programs can be implemented across the nation to address critical infrastructure needs. During his visit, Secretary Buttigieg joined a roundtable discussion with HireLAX graduates and learned how the program provides life-changing opportunities that also help to meet LAWA's critical need for trained construction workers.

Developed within the framework of LAWA's Project Labor Agreement (PLA), HireLAX is a partnership between LAWA, its contractors and the local construction unions. The PLA requires contractors and unions to refer local workers to the project, and to conduct outreach to persons who have not previously had access to employment opportunities on construction projects, placing a special emphasis on underrepresented minorities and women. In November 2020, the PLA was extended by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners for an additional 10 years to 2030.

HireLAX represents a collaboration between LAWA, Los Angeles Southwest College and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. The LAWA PLA and the HireLAX program are managed by Pasadena-based Parsons Corporation. Support services are provided by the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles through their America's Job Centers, WorkSource and YouthSource Centers. Nonprofits Flintridge Center and 2nd Call, and the County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles support services network, provide comprehensive case management for students and graduates.

For more information about the program, including statistics and information on registering for an upcoming HireLAX cohort, visit https://www.lawa.org/lawa-employment/lawa-hirelax/about.