The Work Program - "We Are The Working Class"

Youth economic advancement

Antelope Valley

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

Lost Angels Career Center understands that youth in the Antelope Valley—especially those who are low-income, foster-involved, or systems-impacted—face significant barriers to economic mobility, including limited access to workforce training, stable employment, and supportive services. The region experiences high rates of poverty, youth unemployment, and disconnection from school and work. These challenges are compounded for foster and justice-impacted youth, who often lack mentorship, life skills, and pathways to sustainable careers. Lost Angels seeks to address these disparities through trauma-informed vocational training, paid work experience, and wraparound case management, creating equitable opportunities for young people to thrive

This grant will support Lost Angels Career Center’s flagship paid workforce development program, designed to train, mentor, and employ opportunity youth ages 18–24 in the Antelope Valley, with a focus on high barrier and disadvantaged youth. Through a 12-week intensive vocational training model rooted in classic car restoration and advanced manufacturing, youth gain hard skills in welding, fabrication, painting, composites, and engine assembly. The program embeds soft skill development, trauma-informed mentorship, and wraparound services including mental health support, transportation assistance, and job readiness training. Participants receive stipends, financial literacy education, and direct job placement support. The grant will expand our capacity to serve more youth by increasing access to training, strengthening curriculum to meet employer demands, deepening case management services, and strengthening partnerships with local employers. Lost Angels’ model not only teaches skills, but fosters confidence and long-term economic stability. By investing in underserved youth, this initiative will create meaningful career pathways and break intergenerational cycles of poverty, incarceration, and unemployment in one of LA County’s most under-resourced regions.

If successful, Lost Angels Career Center will transform the Antelope Valley into a model for equitable youth workforce development across Los Angeles County and beyond. In the short term, LACC will expand training access for 20+ opportunity youth (presently training 150 youth a year with a goal to train 170 by the end of 2026), placing at least 85% in high-growth, living wage jobs within 3 months of program completion. Long-term, LACC aims to scale our program to multiple training hubs throughout LA County, integrating new sectors, while continuing to focus on youth most impacted by poverty, foster care, and systems impacted. Our vision is a county where all young people, regardless of background, can access paid pathways to meaningful work, self-sufficiency, and community belonging—ultimately reducing unemployment, recidivism, and homelessness while building a more inclusive regional economy.