Accelerating the Future for Opportunity Youth

Youth economic advancement

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Right now in L.A. County, there are over 170,000 young people who aren’t in school and don’t have a job, because the system hasn’t given them a way in. These are smart, talented youth who’ve been overlooked, under-supported, and told “no” more than “yes.” At the same time, the automotive field is high-growth and well-paying. In 2020, while the demand for technicians in Los Angeles nearly doubled - from 136,503 in 2020 to 258,000 in 2021 - only 48,000 individuals completed automotive training programs. Salaries in this field range from $51,000 to over $100,000 for a trained and ASE-certified mechanic. That’s where Acceler8 steps in. We meet young people where they are—with wrenches, mentorship, and real talk—and help them turn a love of cars into a career. Our students don’t just learn how to fix engines; they build a future. They’re paired with police officers and mechanics who believe in them, and they leave with confidence, purpose, and a job-ready skill set.

This grant supports something powerful: possibility. Acceler8 offers hands-on training, career exposure, and mentorship to youth ages 14 to 24—especially those who’ve been disconnected from school or work, system-involved, or unsure of their next step. Programs run out of our downtown LA garage and Mobile Classroom, reaching students in communities like Watts, East Compton, Inglewood, and the San Fernando Valley—areas often left out of traditional workforce pipelines.
Younger students begin with 4-week Introductory Workshops offered quarterly, gaining basic mechanical skills, safety practices, and confidence. Older students (opportunity youth) move into our 16-week Advanced Workshops, held twice a year, featuring Snap-On Tool certification, electric vehicle systems, and skills to prep for the ASE Certification exam. Students learn about career paths in design, detailing, zero-emission vehicle repair, diesel and heavy vehicle maintenance, auto body and collision repair, and professional racing, through events like Formula Drift’s “Driven Experience,” the LA Auto Show, tours of local professional automotive companies, and our spring Career Fair. Roughly 100 students enroll in training per year. Of those, 25 to 35 of our workforce-age students are assisted in securing living-wage jobs in the automotive field. They leave not just with tools, but with a future they can finally see.

If Acceler8’s work is successful, Los Angeles County will become a model for how to transform systems that have failed opportunity youth. Disconnected young people, especially youth from underserved communities such as Watts, Compton, and the San Fernando Valley, will no longer be sidelined by poverty, trauma, or lack of access. Instead, they’ll be equipped with skills, credentials, and relationships that lead to real careers in a high-demand sector that pays a living wage.
Law enforcement officers and young people at risk for justice involvement will build trust through mentorship, opening pathways toward purpose and stability and diverting them from systems that too often punish instead of support. Employers will gain a diverse, job-ready workforce, and families will gain new sources of economic stability. By bridging education, workforce, and justice systems, Acceler8 is not just creating jobs, it’s redefining how Los Angeles invests in the potential of its youth.