Pasadena City College launches a new facility to help increase the skilled trades workforce and support fire recovery

Pasadena City College has broken ground on a new construction trades facility that will train students to help rebuild fire-ravaged communities.

“When [the Construction Trades Lab] is completed, this ordinary parking lot will be transformed into a hands-on, outdoor learning space that will feel like a construction site and a classroom rolled into one,” said José Gómez, president of Pasadena City College, as he stood in front of a large gathering of staff, faculty, students, and supporters in a parking lot on campus. 

“While learning to build structures, our students will build real-world skills, along with the experience and confidence they need to join the skilled trades workforce and help rebuild our communities.”

The groundbreaking for the Construction Trades Lab was held January 14, as Los Angeles County continued its commemoration of the anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades fires. In January of 2025, the fires destroyed 16,000 structures. By the time the Eaton fire was contained on January 31, 2025, it had destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship. Pasadena City College is located minutes from neighborhoods devastated by the fires. 

The Eaton and Palisades fires increased and intensified the need to expand the skilled trades workforce.

During his visit to Southern California for the groundbreaking, Stewart Knox, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, spent time met with residents of Altadena who lost their homes in the Eaton fire and heard of the challenges they face. Knox called PCC’s new construction trades lab “workforce infrastructure for a region in recovery.”

“We need to train people, and investing in our community colleges is one way to do that,” Knox told the gathering. “Rebuilding Los Angeles will take years and will take people with real skills. Recovery isn’t just about building structures; it’s about people and how we rebuild.”

Funding for the Construction Trades Lab comes from various sources, including $2.8 million from the Walter Family Foundation through LA Rises, the governor’s initiative that brings together leaders in the private sector to support rebuilding efforts led by the city and county of Los Angeles, as well as the state of California. 

At the end of his remarks, Knox presented Gómez with an oversized ceremonial check, representing the gift from the Walter Family Foundation and LA Rises to the college.  

“We could not do this without the strong support we’ve received from Governor Newsom and California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian,” Gómez said. “Because of their support, and the support of other donors, we’re able to implement a bold vision for rebuilding and recovery, one that places people and community first.” 

The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office provided Pasadena City College with $1.5 million. Of that amount, $500,000 will go towards the Construction Trades Lab. The state funding was designated for workforce development and regional rebuilding programs at community colleges.

“I commend President Gómez, along with the faculty, staff, and students, for their deep commitment to the community,” Christian said. “It took vision, determination, and a relentless effort to bring together the resources, partnerships, and expertise needed to make this facility a reality.”

The Construction Trades Lab will be built in Lot 3 of PCC’s main campus, the same location that was transformed into a community distribution center during the days of the Eaton fire. The parking lot was a “hub of hope during the fires,” Gómez said. With the launch of the Construction Trades Lab in the same location, it will once again represent hope. 

The groundbreaking brought together many facets of the community: non-profits, education, representatives of labor, including Ernesto Medrano, executive secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, and representatives of elected officials U.S. Representative Judy Chu, Senator Sasha Perez, Assemblymember John Harabedian, Assemblymember Mike Fong, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who provided opening remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony, has been a longtime supporter of expanding education in the skilled trades.  

“Together, all of us are creating something special,” Gordo said of the Construction Trades Lab.  “This isn’t a project; this isn’t a class. This is truly rebuilding, not just structures, but rebuilding lives.” 

The devastation caused by the Eaton fire was personal for many PCC students, faculty, and staff. Board of Trustees President Steve Gibson and his wife lost their home of 24 years in the fire. 

“We had to negotiate bureaucracy, utility companies, insurance companies, and in the process of rebuilding, we had to find the resources we need,” Gibson said.  “We had to find contractors, workers, skilled people who could rebuild our home. That’s why it’s so important to me to see what we are starting here today. Students will have the skills needed to rebuild.”

Laura Ramirez, PCC’s vice president for instruction, said the college offers programs designed to help meet the needs of students and families. 

“We’re very excited about our programs and our Construction Trades Lab,” Ramirez said. 

Just six months after the fire, PCC set up a program to introduce high school students to the skilled trades. Nearly 80 local high school students spent weeks in PCC’s Summer Construction Careers Program, which was sponsored by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. In classes held on the Colorado Boulevard campus, the high school students learned trades such welding, industrial fabrication, electricity, and building inspection, courses that often are not taught at public schools. The students received a stipend for participating. 

The dearth of skilled trades education in K-12 schools is yet another reason skilled trades education at PCC is important, said Belen Vargas, senior director of Los Angeles County programs for Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. The organization is committed to increasing access to excellent skilled trades education for high school students.  

“We are deeply grateful that Pasadena City College shares our vision,” Vargas said. “….We are inspired by your dedication to the rebuild effort. And we are excited to see what the Construction Trades Lab can unlock for our local high school students.”

More information about skilled trades programs at Pasadena City College is available on the college’s website.