Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Los Angeles Unified School District have announced an initiative to prepare students from schools across Los Angeles Unified for jobs in aviation.
This new LAX-focused workforce development initiative aims to create a pipeline for Los Angeles Unified students to find jobs in the aviation, construction, hospitality and transportation industries. Efforts to place youth interns will be coordinated with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Hire LA’s Youth Program and directly with industry partners.
“Building a world-class airport requires a remarkable team of people, and finding those people takes strategic partnerships,” said Sean Burton, president, Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners. “This first-of-its-kind partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District connects us to the incredible pipeline of talent that we find in our local public schools, and will give students and adults the information and training they need to start a career at one of our airports.”
LAWA and Los Angeles Unified anticipate that this partnership will help a greater number of local workers find jobs at LAX, while also matching the region’s growing workforce with the anticipated demand of airport employers, including civil service jobs with the City of Los Angeles.
“The launch of the Aviation Career Pathways Partnership with Los Angeles Unified marks the beginning of something meaningful: an unprecedented opportunity to link hundreds of Los Angeles Unified students with careers in aviation at LAX and Van Nuys Airports,” LAWA chief operating officer Samson Mengistu said, “We need new workers to bring their skills, ideas and drive to our team, and there is no better place to find that talent than in our local Los Angeles public schools.”