New survey findings from Harbor Freight Tools for Schools show that 94% of registered voters support expanding skilled trades education in Los Angeles County high schools.

In addition, 92% of high school students’ parents and 86% of high school students said they strongly support or somewhat support the expansion of existing skilled trades programs.

Eighty-seven percent of voters said it “was a mistake” to remove classes on carpentry, welding, transportation mechanics, and other skilled trades.

L.A.-based public opinion research firm EVITARUS conducted the survey on behalf of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools between Nov. 20, 2023, and Jan. 21, 2024. More than 1,000 respondents, including 400 registered voters, 495 parents of students attending public high schools in L.A. County, and 258 local public high school students.

Eighty-four percent of voters, 89% of parents, and 83% of students expressed support for increasing state and local funding to expand skilled trades offerings in local public high schools. Three-quarters of parents said they would encourage their child to take a skilled trades class if they were offered, regardless of whether their child planned to attend college.

Collision repairers know of the ongoing yearslong technician shortage not only in this industry but automotive and diesel as well. To make matters worse, during efforts to recruit students and retain existing techs, the transportation repair industries are facing competition with all skilled trades, which are also facing worker shortages.

Fewer than 1 in 5 public high schools in L.A. County’s 80 school districts offer skilled trades education, according to Harbor Freight Tools for Schools’ findings. Twenty schools in the county offer classes in construction and one offers an electrical course.

“Voters, parents, and students are making it abundantly clear that high schools in L.A. County should be doing a lot more to prepare students for careers and good wage jobs that are in high demand,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, in a news release. “With billions of dollars of federal infrastructure funding headed to our community, it is essential that young people in Los Angeles have the opportunity to learn the trades and graduate from high school with the necessary skills to be hired.”

In Southern California, an electrician or entry-level utility lineman can earn an annual salary of $65,000-$100,000, according to the release.

“We set out to hear from public school students and parents who too often are not included in polling on public policy issues,” said Shakari Byerly, lead researcher and EVITARUS managing partner, in the release. “We asked students what they want for their future, and we found a deep interest in finding pathways to fulfilling, well-paying careers, such as the skilled trades, that offer them the chance to live and work in their own community.”

Students who participated in a series of four focus groups held by EVITARUS across Los Angeles repeatedly said they wanted the opportunity to learn about skilled trades and add more tools to their educational toolbox. Many said taking a skilled trades class is “very important” because it could lead to finding a passion and getting internships and other early job experience, EVITARUS said.

Students and parents shared concerns about the cost of college and that they view high school as the optimal time to gain career exposure and training.

“For those who might have not thought they would ever want to do that job, they’re getting the opportunity to do it in high school, and for free, so it’s kind of a win-win,” said one student at a focus group, according to EVITARUS.

Seventy-six percent of voters strongly agreed that high schools in L.A. County need to do a better job of creating pathways for students not attending college. Research shows 1 in 4 Los Angeles high school graduates will earn a four-year college degree within six years of graduation.

“We need to do a better job equipping all students for life after high school,” said Brent Tuttle, a La Mirada High School welding teacher and one of only a handful in L.A. County, in the release. “I love watching students discover a passion while learning valuable, real-world skills that can be the basis for a career. It’s the cherry on top when I hear from former students that they’re earning six figures just a few years after graduation using the skills we worked on together. But classes like mine are an endangered species.”

A parent who participated in one of the focus groups said, “I would feel proud [if my child pursued a skilled trade] because you won’t only have one job, but you’ll know how to do something. If a door closes, another one opens. With so many doors, you can become your own boss.”

With Los Angeles facing a looming shortage of skilled trades workers and projections indicating that the number of trade jobs will experience a double-digit increase in the next 10 years, 87% of voters said local young people should have access to these jobs in their community, EVITARUS said.

A new report by the National Skills Coalition states that recently passed federal programs should infuse an estimated $2 trillion in U.S. infrastructure projects, creating an average of 2.9 million jobs a year for the duration of the programs. The report’s authors warn that the number of currently trained workers is insufficient to handle the demand.

“Everyone is talking about the need for more housing and huge new public works projects across the region, but no one knows where we’re going to actually find enough workers who are trained and qualified to get these projects off the ground,” said Rob Kane, executive vice president of Lincoln Property Co., in the release. “The need to expedite the process of training skilled workers is abundantly clear.”

Images

Featured image: Natalya Puga inspects a weld on a cooking grate for her barbecue grill project as part of the Da Vinci Schools skilled trades summer program in Los Angeles County. (Photo by Ben Gibbs/Harbor Freight Tools for Schools)

Chart provided by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and EVITARUS 

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