CALL OUR HOTLINE: 323 | 316-2125
Are you interested in exploring a career pathway? LAEC offers FREE training in construction and certified nursing assistance for young people who are also seeking a high school diploma.
​
Los Angeles Education Corps YouthBuild is LAEC's option for young adults ages 18-25, without a diploma, who choose to transition directly into a career pathway instead of enrolling in a college or university after earning their high school diploma with us.  As an affiliate of YouthBuild USA, the program offers curriculum where participants can gain hands-on training, new knowledge and skills through exploration, and earn industry certificates for high-wage jobs.  LAEC YouthBuild is open to LAEC students and alumni as well as any young person from the local community seeking a diploma and career. 

Construction Training
Our flagship program, located on our CBA Watts, TEC Pico Union and TEC Long Beach campuses, is LAEC YouthBuild Construction Training, where students can earn certifications while taking 166 hours of General Construction course(s) including the NCCER as well as CPR, first aid and Cal OSHA 10/30 courses. In addition, LAEC YouthBuild is now an Accredited Training Sponsor (ATS). This designation certifies our staff to train construction trainers and qualify them to earn continuing education credits or to renew their certifications.  

Students can simultaneously work on earning their high school diploma at these campuses.
Certified Nursing Assistant Training
Our newest CTE opportunity, for 16-24 year olds without a diploma, is the LAEC YouthBuild Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program.  Certified by the Department of Public Health Services, it is offered at our TEC Pico Union and TEC Long Beach campuses, and applications are being accepted now. Enter your information on the form to the right or stop by one of those campuses and pick up an application.  Participants can earn a CNA while attending the high school located on-site during this 14-week program.

Training Locations and Contact Info

CBA Watts - Construction Training
9702 Holmes Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90002

TEC Pico Union - CNA Training, Construction Training
1403 S. Union Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90015.

TEC Long Beach  - CNA Training, Construction Training
3635 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807

To visit or for more information about the CNA program contact Aysia Middleton at (323) 718-1824 or [email protected].  Or, if you need more information about construction training contact Kearney Lindsey at (909) 519-0572 or [email protected]. You may also enter your information in the form to the right and Aysia or Kearney will contact you.

For more information about the overall CTE program - for example, to become a worksite or training partner - please contact Jorge Hernandez, CTE Director, at [email protected].
All LAEC CNA programs are approved and certified by the California Department of Public Health. In terms of construction, we are a NCEER training provider and Accredited Training Sponsor.
We appreciate the California Department of Education for its support of our CTE programs through its Career Technical Education Investment Grant (CTEIG).

Many Thanks to the
​Home Depot Foundation!

We are grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for selecting LAEC YouthBuild as a 2025 Path to Pro Education Grant recipient. A grant for $10,000 was recently approved for our skilled trades program to support training young people to participate in revitalizing neighborhoods and public spaces affected by the wildfires. In the process, they will gain hands-on experience in construction, environmental stewardship, and project management.

Students will build wellness spaces and raised garden beds to be used by the community to plant produce, gather, and relax. These will be established in areas that have been affected by smoke and ash, adding environmental benefit to their project. Students will also lead environmental cleanup projects to safely address lingering ash and soot and provide educational outreach on air quality and health risks. Through this work, LAEC YouthBuild participants will not only strengthen their own skills and career readiness but also directly help their neighborhoods recover and build long-term resilience against economic challenges and environmental hazards.

Since 2011, the foundation has invested more than $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program.
Picture

    For More Information about LAEC YouthBuild construction training or CNA training complete this form. 

​You are also welcome to download the application below and drop it off at one of the campuses indicated in the Training Locations and Contact Info section to the left. One of our friendly staff members would be happy to help you to complete it.
Construction Application.pdf
File Size: 2816 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
CNA Application.pdf
File Size: 824 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
NEW! You can also fill out your CNA application and upload all your documents online!  You can bring your original documents later at pre-enrollment.
Picture
Four-Year Focused

​While assisting young people to overcome past obstacles, we also prepare them for transition to college.  LAEC offers graduation resources through our Four-Year Focused program.  During their senior year students are placed in a cohort with their graduating peers and receive individual case management and tracking and support in applying for college and financial aid. They also participate in workshops and go on college road trips.   The summer before their freshman year in college they receive individual transition support. Students from grades 9-11 are also provided with college information, exposure and access via the LAEC’s Advisory Curriculum. This curriculum was designed to build students knowledge of themselves, leadership skill development and college knowledge. The expectation is that students complete their 11th grade year with all of the foundational knowledge they need to begin their Four-Year Focused journey in their senior year. 


​MSW Counseling Program

We partner with local universities, such as USC, UCLA, and Long Beach State.  Graduate students who are pursuing a Masters in Social Work (counseling) are hosted on our campuses, where they work one-on-one with students to meet their counseling and case management needs.

Free Online Counseling for LAEC Students!

​Hazel Health is partnering with Los Angeles Education Corps to provide access to quality health care services for all of our students, at no cost to families, this school year. A school health representative can initiate a video visit with a Hazel Health licensed therapist while students are at-school. Therapy sessions with Hazel Health are a safe space and are private and confidential. To access this service, LAEC students or their parents can sign up here.


​Get Lit

Get Lit is a citywide program that has been implemented successfully at our College Bridge Academy - Watts site.  It is dedicated to bringing the power of poetic expression to at-risk teens through a standards-based curriculum fusing classic literature and poetry with contemporary Spoken Word performance techniques. We have found that participants are more likely to come to school, achieve higher grades in their other ​classes, and finish the semester without dropping out. Many of our poetry students report
increases in self-confidence and self-worth, as 



​well as using poetry as an outlet for dealing with negative emotions or trauma when they previously would have turned to substance abuse, fighting, or self-harm. Four of our graduates have also earned spots as ambassadors for the Get Lit program. As Get LitPlayers, these students went on to such opportunities as performing at high schools all across Los Angeles, at Dodgers Stadium, on the Queen Latifah show, at a John Legend concert, and even as far as the Kennedy Center stage and the White House.