The LA Hospitality Training Academy is a free, unpaid training program for anyone interested in the hospitality or food service field. They offer certification to become a line cook, bartender or barista, or hospitality worker at LAX. They also host vocational ESL classes, which helps those learning English practice technical terminology and develop an understanding of workplace culture.

Every 10 years, the United States government takes a census collecting data on all residents of the country such as age, address, and occupation. The 2020 Census is recruiting thousands of workers across the country for door-to-door and office positions. This is a temporary position. Pay rates are adjusted by city and are available for viewing online. The pay range for Los Angeles County is $17.00-21.00 an hour. Adults over the age of 18 who have a social security card number may apply, with no resume or prior work experience required. 

Support Solutions is a non-profit offering employment opportunities and service navigation to homeless individuals in the San Gabriel Valley. Their “You’re Hired!” program helps develop all types of work readiness skills including resume building, job interview practice, job placement, and financial literacy information. To be eligible, you must be homeless, at least 30 days clean and sober, able to work independently and full time, and have identification. If you do not have identification, this organization can help.

Assist is a resource for California community college students planning on transferring to a California 4-year University. The website shows which courses are transferable, and the requirements for different majors. It will also help you explore the different majors at your local university.

The “Explorer Program” is meant for youth who are interested in becoming firefighters to learn about the department and fire service. Youth get hands on training and the chance to talk to real firefighters in the field about the job.

This city program provides internship opportunities with local businesses, arts organizations, non-profits, and government agencies. It also arranges speakers to high schools from local businesses, and allows youth to job shadow a variety of different locations.

An initiative by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Hire LA’s Youth is a program to support youth ages 14-24 to find internships. After completing a job skills workshop, youth will receive a “work readiness certification”. Youth will also receive one-on-one job search help, resume guidance, and consistent job leads. The website also has a tips section which talks about how to apply, how to stand out, and how to succeed in a new job.

https://www.layouthatwork.org/youth

As an initiative from the City of Los Angeles, these centers offer youth ages 16-24 career guidance, job skills training, computer and typing training, and mentorship. They have locations throughout the San Fernando Valley as well as the Los Angeles area.

This job training program serves low-income or high-risk 16 to 19 year old youth who live in Santa Clarita. After applying online, youth are interviewed and potentially hired by the City of Santa Clarita. Afterwards they hold paid internships at local job sites for 8-12 weeks. To increase their employability, youth also attend skill-building classes while in the program.

In addition to free internet access throughout the LA library systems, these online resources allow patrons to develop their computer literacy skills. From creating a budget to applying for jobs online, digitallearn has easy to follow video tutorials.

The CHSPE is a proficiency exam that is legally equivalent to a high school diploma in California, similar to the GED. The test may be taken at age 16, and even if you are under 18 allows you to start working full time or enter college. Universities may have other requirements than a high school diploma such as a-g classes that must be completed before admittance. But a youth who has passed this test may go straight to community college. The test is offered three times a year and costs $130, though homeless youth and foster youth may receive a fee waiver.

Offered through the Los Angeles County Library system, Career Online High school is a free self-paced program to get a high diploma in 18 months or less. This program is open to anyone over the age of 19 who lives in the Los Angeles County area and has or signs up for a free library card. If you do not have a personal computer, you can use the local library’s computers or possibly check out a laptop for the program. In addition to a high school dipolma, this program offers career-specific introductory training.

For foster youth in need of academic support, United Friends of the Children’s program can guide you from 7th grade all the way to the end of college. New participants are able to join the program in either 7th/8th grade, the end of 10th grade, or in community college. The program includes school tours, college counseling, tutoring, and access to educational grants.

This department at UCLA is dedicated to bringing academic opportunities to people of color, first-generation college students, non-traditional students, and low-income students. In the summer, students may participate in free residential programs experiencing dorm life. You could even take a real course at UCLA for free to see what it’s like. They offer are programs specifically for parenting students, foster youth, Native and Pacific Islanders, men of color, undocumented students, and students interested in science. During the year, participants are mentored by a current UCLA transfer student with monthly check-ins, and Saturday workshops.

826 LA offers free one-on-one tutoring and writing support to youth 6-11 on Mondays-Thursday, and for youth 11-18 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They also host workshops in fun creative topics like journalism, character design, and botany.

Fastweb is a free online scholarship database, that makes it easy to find what you personally qualify for. To begin, create an account and fill out the questions it asks about your background, major, and more. You will then receive a personalized list of open scholarships and the requirements to apply. The website also shows local jobs and internships, and gives information about the student loan process.

This website hosts free videos that explain all types of subjects from k-12 math to digital photography. You can also find videos about the educational system,

Find answers to frequently asked questions regarding education, as well as careers, relationships, and independent living. Curious about transferring to a new school after changing foster homes? Interested in alternatives to traditional high school? Check out this site.

JVS offers multiple career programs tailored to specific groups. Youth 16+ are able to receive job readiness and career exploration help, work experience programs, and mentorship. JVS also offers programs specifically for youth on probation. Women can participate in the WoMentoring six month long career guidance program that matches each participant with a mentor in their desired field.

They exist in the following locations under the names in parentheses: Antelope Valley (AJCC), Chatsworth (GAIN), Palmdale (GAIN), Santa Clarita (GAIN), Lancaster (GROW), Pasadena (GROW), Sun Valley (GROW), West Hollywood (JVS), Glendale (GROW), Southwest College (AJCC), and West Los Angeles (AJCC).