Officials laud state funding for goods movement campus

State officials on Friday presented a ceremonial check reaffirming a $110 million pledge to help fund the nation’s first training facility specifically devoted to supply chain workers, located within the San Pedro Bay ports complex.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach Goods Movement Training Campus will provide a single and centralised location aimed at attracting, recruiting, and retaining workers in the goods movement sector. The $110 million allocation will be spread across three fiscal years, starting with the 2022-23 state budget with additional amounts in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

“The Goods Movement Training Campus is a big deal, not only to the City of Long Beach – where one in five jobs are connected to our port – but also to this region and the state of California,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. “It’s important for us, as public servants, to ensure our residents are prepared to have good-paying jobs well into the future, and the role this campus will play in it is huge.”

“We thank the state for investing in the future of our goods movement workforce as this port complex continues to balance supply chain challenges while accelerating the deployment of zero-emissions technologies,” said Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero. “We have a responsibility to deliver training that will create jobs, combat climate change and maintain our position as one of the region’s leading economic engines.”

“The Goods Movement Training Campus will provide a central location to upskill today’s workers while building the workforce of tomorrow,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman. “We thank Governor Gavin Newsom for his dedication and investment in California’s workforce as well as Senator Lena Gonzalez and Assembly member Mike Gipson for being champions of this vital funding for the San Pedro Bay ports complex.”

“We are humbled that our efforts are being recognized and rewarded by this historic investment in our collective future success,” said Ramon Ponce de Leon, President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13. “The members of the ILWU wish to sincerely thank our partners at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as the governor and state legislators of California, for their ongoing support.”

“As Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I am happy to see such a great investment in our goods movement workforce,” said State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, whose district includes the Port of Long Beach. “From longshore and trucking to warehouse and logistics employees, we need to ensure that all workers of the San Pedro Bay ports complex and workers in the goods movement sector have access to the training and skill-building opportunities they need. This will help build a strong and resilient workforce, ready for the challenges that may come, whether that is a pandemic causing supply chain disruptions or striving for a cleaner environment and technologies.”

“I’m thrilled to join so many partners in welcoming the Goods Movement Training Campus to the San Pedro ports complex,” said Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, whose district includes the Port of Long Beach. “Ensuring smooth and efficient operations of our supply chain requires skilled and trained workers. This campus will be the home for just that.”

Centrally located in the San Pedro Bay ports complex, the training centre will provide new job opportunities for residents of nearby communities while strengthening skills for the existing logistics workforce.

Dockworkers, truck drivers, warehouse employees and other essential logistics workers will have an opportunity to learn how to operate the cutting edge equipment that will help the San Pedro Bay ports enhance air quality, combat climate change and transition to zero-emissions operations by 2035.

The 20-acre campus, expected to open by 2029, is a partnership between the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, the California Workforce Development Board, the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association. The ports will equally split the balance of the project cost while working with partners to secure additional funding for training equipment and curriculum.

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