LATTC and other trade schools grow in popularity as AI boom reshapes job market, economy

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — In the age of AI, some career paths are disappearing fast, and that has some people considering trade schools.

At Los Angeles Trade Technical-College in South L.A., some students are learning what it takes to be electrical linemen.

“It’s a different path,” student Sean Miller told ABC7. “There’s a lot of other career opportunities where you can spend up to eight to 10 years in class. This one you can do — hit the ground running and have a specific way to go — in such a short amount of time.”

Just six months, and when you graduate you can earn six figures. And best of all it’s a job that offers security from Artificial intelligence.

“I think it’s pretty impossible for AI to get up on a pole and mess with high-voltage and stuff like that,” Miller said. “That’s another thing, that this job will never go anywhere. It’s pretty much unlimited work and job security forever.”

That job security is one reason why enrollment is up at LATTC. And it’s not just for linemen: The school offers a broad array of training.

Alfred McQuarters, president of LATTC, said there is a strong demand for the college’s construction program, “and that’s everything from (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) to plumbing, to carpentry, to our welding program. Those have a very high interest over the past few years.”

LATTC also offers training for another field that is perpetually in demand: culinary.

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“When I’m cooking, I feel like this is what I’m meant to do,” student Jada Vernon said.

In addition to the training, LATTC also works with industries to help students find jobs when they graduate.