With infrastructure in the news, it’s a good time to look at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Apprenticeship Readiness Program. It hires from nearby communities for the airport’s multi-billion-dollar construction program, employing students from diverse backgrounds and training them in the building trades.
Janette Cortez, who has two children, is one of the apprentices. Three years ago, she rose each day before dawn to commute to Los Angeles Southwest College, where she was enrolled in the HireLAX apprentice program that provides training to support the airport construction effort.