President Trump and Governor Newsom agree on at least one thing: Apprenticeships are the best path to employability for at-risk youth.
Can Apprenticeship Programs in the juvenile camps achieve rehabilitation?
Governor Newsom has called for 500,000 apprentices by 2029 in his Master Plan for Career Education in which he endorsed apprenticeships 50 times. President Trump called for 1,000,000 apprentices.
Both leaders urge employers to train participants such occupations as construction, medical and legal assistants, bookkeepers, and Human Resource specialists. Minimum wages and college credits are often available in our program. And yet, the Los Angeles Probation Oversight Commission in 2022 found that: “The most consistent observation and recommendation made by Commissioners related to lack of quality programming across the juvenile facilities [and] the need to offer programs and services that appeal to youth and support their preparation for reentry through vocational and educational opportunities…”
The Los Angeles Superior Court has reviewed the California Department of Justice’s motion to place LA County Probation Halls and Camps under receivership, which provides the opportunity to support the Newsom and Trump initiatives. Thus, the incoming Receiver should focus on pathways to employability by asking:
- In what vocations are probationary youth employable?
- What input should employers provide to assure employability?
- What standards should be in place to verify programming success?
Taxpayers expect that incarcerated youth will contribute to society. WestCal Academy’s apprenticeships have been on the forefront of this effort not only at the camps but in high schools in Long Beach. We have proven that when incarcerated or special needs youths graduate from our apprentice program, they are soon gainfully employed.
Given our experience, the incoming receiver should prioritize apprenticeships registered with the Department of Labor, adopt a performance assessment for all apprenticeship, audit all current programs in the LA County Probation halls and camps and require all non-Apprenticeship programs to demonstrate how they contribute to a youth’s employability.
Reform is necessary based on my experience as Vice-President of WestCal Academy and Project Manager contracted by LA County to implement Apprenticeship programs in the juvenile halls and camps. WestCal planned to provide a career exploration pre-apprenticeship program, which would have identified a career, meet potential employers, and earn a scholarship into an apprenticeship program. Our program provides UC Riverside Extension Units towards a degree. Our program guarantees a positive return on investment; that is, earning a legitimate wage from a legitimate employer, that would result in paying taxes back to the state, not to mention building a rewarding future.
However, as investigations have revealed, the Department of Probation’s and the Department of Youth Development’s consistent obstruction of program reform has led to wasted taxpayer dollars and a crisis of management at our juvenile facilities. To give one personal example, WestCal Academy offered programming for 54 youth, which was cut to 29 youth. When we complained, our contract was cancelled. And that is just one of the many injustices infecting our justice system. Our hope is that after reviewing the evidence of massive malfeasance and abuse, the new Receiver should find ways to implement Governor Newsom’s and President Trump’s plan for apprenticeship programs in our juvenile justice system.
