Construction Trades Lab Groundbreaking (Photo – PCC)
Pasadena City College (PCC) has broken ground on a new Construction Trades Lab designed to train students for careers in the skilled trades while helping rebuild communities damaged by recent wildfires.
By News Desk
The groundbreaking ceremony took place Jan. 14 in a parking lot on PCC’s main campus that will be transformed into a hands-on, outdoor learning facility. The lab is intended to function as both a construction site and a classroom, providing students with real-world training.
“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 PCC President José Gómez. “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 ceremony coincided with Los Angeles County’s commemoration of the anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades fires. In January 2025, the fires destroyed 16,000 structures. By the time the Eaton fire was contained on Jan. 31, 2025, more than 10,000 homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship had been destroyed or damaged. PCC is located minutes from neighborhoods heavily impacted by the fires.
The scale of destruction from the Eaton and Palisades fires intensified the need to expand the skilled trades workforce. Stewart Knox, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, attended the groundbreaking during a visit to Southern California and described the new facility as critical to recovery efforts.
“We need to train people, and investing in our community colleges is one way to do that,” Knox said. “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 multiple sources. The Walter Family Foundation contributed $2.8 million through LA Rises, the governor’s initiative that brings together private-sector leaders to support rebuilding efforts led by the city and county of Los Angeles, as well as the state. Knox presented Gómez with an oversized ceremonial check representing the gift during the event.
Additional funding includes $1.5 million from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, with $500,000 designated specifically for the Construction Trades Lab. The state funding was allocated for workforce development and regional rebuilding programs at community colleges.
“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.”
Christian praised the college’s efforts, citing the collaboration required to make the project possible. “It took vision, determination, and a relentless effort to bring together the resources, partnerships, and expertise needed to make this facility a reality,” she said.
The Construction Trades Lab will be built in Lot 3 of PCC’s main campus, a site that served as a community distribution center during the Eaton fire. Gómez described the location as a “hub of hope” during the emergency and said it will once again symbolize hope through education and workforce training.
The event drew representatives from nonprofit organizations, labor groups, and elected officials. Attendees included Ernesto Medrano of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as representatives of U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, Assemblymembers John Harabedian and Mike Fong, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who delivered opening remarks, emphasized the broader impact of the project. “This isn’t a project; this isn’t a class. This is truly rebuilding, not just structures, but rebuilding lives,” Gordo said.
For many at PCC, the impact of the fires has been deeply personal. Board of Trustees President Steve Gibson and his wife lost their home of 24 years in the Eaton fire. Gibson spoke about the challenges of navigating the rebuilding process and the difficulty of finding skilled workers.
“That’s why it’s so important to me to see what we are starting here today,” Gibson said. “Students will have the skills needed to rebuild.”
PCC has already taken steps to address workforce needs following the fires. Six months after the disaster, the college launched a Summer Construction Careers Program for high school students. Nearly 80 local students participated in the program, which was sponsored by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and offered instruction in welding, industrial fabrication, electricity, and building inspection. Participants received a stipend, and the courses provided exposure to trades often not available in K–12 education.
Belen Vargas, senior director of Los Angeles County programs for Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, said the lack of skilled trades education in public schools makes programs like PCC’s especially important. “We are deeply grateful that Pasadena City College shares our vision,” Vargas said. “We are inspired by your dedication to the rebuild effort.”
Laura Ramirez, PCC’s vice president for instruction, said the college remains focused on meeting the needs of students and families affected by the fires. “We’re very excited about our programs and our Construction Trades Lab,” she said.
More information about skilled trades programs at Pasadena City College is available on the college’s website.
“Pasadena City College is creating the programs that will help not only build our community, but build careers,” Gómez said.
Construction Trades Lab Groundbreaking (Photo – PCC)
Which trades are they going to train for? There’s no mention at all! (except for a previous program for high school students). If the reporter asked and the answer was “we don’t know yet,” then that should be stated. It feels very vague.
Does that mean they are just re-opening their construction classes they use to have and would build different types of buildings?