The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools’ L.A. County Skilled Trades Summers program is expanding to serve more than 800 high school students across 11 sites in 2026. By offering paid, hands-on training in trades like welding, solar installation, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work and building inspection, the philanthropic organization aims to increase awareness, offer educational opportunities and provide support, life skills and investment for high school skilled trades education.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, the flagship program of the Smidt Foundation, has only seen demand for the program grow since its initial launch in 2021. While the program might on the surface be perceived as a simple summer camp, an external evaluation by L.A. County found that students have overwhelmingly regarded it as a real job—where they are expected to maintain professionalism and accountability.
“They’re not sitting around. They are actually learning, working with their hands, building, collaborating,” says Belen Vargas, senior director of L.A. County Programs at Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “The students said, ‘We have to show up on time like a job. We have to build, we have to problem solve, we are taking this responsibility seriously.'”
Workdays for the students are no walk in the park either. The earn-and-learn program runs up to eight weeks and replicates an actual workday onsite, typically consisting of six- to eight-hour days.
“In the summer, so many young people would be in bed, getting up late and hanging out with their friends. These young people are getting up and arriving at their school or program at 7 or 7:30 in the morning,” says Vargas.
“They have shifted in terms of their understanding of what needs to be done if they are to pursue a career in the industry. Parents that we interviewed say, ‘Oh my God! They understand and they are getting to school on time and we’ve seen their grades improve,'” says Vargas.
For students not traditionally drawn to endless hours of sitting and listening to lectures, the program has created a pipeline for many to pursue and land jobs in the trades after graduation. Girls in the program have also found passion, value and a new love for school through work-centered learning.
“Girls will tell us that they never ever thought that this was a career that they could do or that they would love,” says Vargas. “They’re creative and innovative. We like to say they have genius in their hands.”
The program also offers industry-based credentials alongside hands-on training. For students who participated in the program and fell in love with the trades, certification allows future employers to see a demonstrated understanding of students’ capabilities at the entry level. Rogelio, a recent program graduate from Artesia High School, fell in love with welding while in the program and is now working in the trades at a major aerospace company.
“For us, it was really awesome being able to learn and even work toward a welding certificate and, on top of that, make money. So everyone, including me, saw it as a constant win as long as we put in the time and effort,” says Rogelio. “The most valuable thing I learned was optimism and determination. During the program, we obviously failed a lot because we all don’t have any welding experience, but our instructor constantly pushed us and motivated us to do better.”
The L.A. County Skilled Trades Summers program also partners with Long Beach City College and Pasadena City College, which are expanding to serve 110 students through a new Construction Readiness pathway where students will build the skills and experience needed to help rebuild their community after the destructive January 2025 fires.
“For PCC, the leadership, both on the college level and the mayor of Pasadena, have been wanting to build more diverse kinds of pathways. The fires accelerated their original vision to create something bigger. Their vision is to create the first-ever regional skilled trades, state-of-the-art training hub. We gave them a planning grant to help them start the planning process,” says Vargas.
A student showcase featuring an employer panel and career fair with 30 different employers underlines the impact of the L.A. County Skilled Trades Summers program. For organizations looking to replicate and bolster the talent pipeline for the next generation, Vargas’ advice is straightforward: assess local workforce needs, engage employers early, find strong teachers who drive retention, then build the “what’s next” pipeline through mentorships and apprenticeships.
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