City Council Formalizes Partnership with PUSD, PCC for Expansion of Career Technical Education Opportunities in Pasadena

The City Council unanimously voted to formalize its partnership with Pasadena Unified School District, Pasadena City College and several other institutions for purposes of expanding Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities in Pasadena.

The Council made the move in a joint meeting with the PUSD Board of Education on Monday, March 20.

“I’m excited about this partnership,” Mayor Victor Gordo said. “This is about breaking cycles of poverty and creating opportunities for everyone and having employment training that leads to employment that gives them the opportunity to be successful and contributing members of our community.”

In the summer of 2022, the Office of the Mayor convened a group of stakeholders to explore the possibility of expanding CTE opportunities in Pasadena. 

Participating stakeholders included PCC President Erika Endrijonas, PUSD Board President Michelle Richardson-Bailey, Superintendent Brian McDonald, Boardmember Jennifer Hall Lee, and former Board President Elizabeth Pomeroy.

Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council  Secretary/Treasurer Chris Hannan, LA County Federation of Labor Director Rob Nothoff, Huntington Hospital President Dr. Lori Morgan, Doheny Eye Institute CEO Marissa Goldberg, are also among the individuals who joined the group.

The group identified a gap in the availability of existing programs and an immediate opportunity to pilot a career and technical training program in the building and construction trades.

Following the meetings, the LA/OC Building Trades Council and PCC exchanged agreements to formalize the certification of a building trades curriculum to be offered at the college. The Building Trades Council will also identify an instructor with costs to be shared by them and PCC.

Aside from a career and technical training program in the building and construction trades, the working group also identified the potential for expansion into a number of industries to enhance Pasadena’s local workforce. 

According to Gordo, formalizing the partnership with stakeholders will allow the City to pursue available planning grants for upcoming programs as well as a site.

“With the assistance of these grants, this effort will lay out a framework and work plan which will expand professional, technical, healthcare, and skilled trades training opportunities at a location to be identified, one that is readily available to our respective and common constituencies. The effort will also seek to ensure that there is a job opportunity at the commencement of the training,” said Gordo. 

“The action today is to form a partnership. We will let our professional staff, the superintendent, the city attorney and the city manager come back to us and tell us what that form of partnership looks like.”

During the Monday’s meeting, the PUSD Board also voted unanimously to formalize its partnership with the City of Pasadena, PCC and other institutions to expand CTE opportunities in Pasadena.