This program is for 18-24-year-olds who are HIGH-RISK, HIGH BARRIER, JUSTICE-INVOLVED, or LOW INCOME. You will need to be able to commute to our training facility in Lancaster, CA. NO DRAMA, NO DRUGS. FAQ

UPCOMING CLASSES: SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2026 AND JANUARY 2027

12-WEEK PROGRAM THE BREAKDOWN

8-WEEK APPRENTICESHIP

We are a vocational training center where youth learn hands-on skills. All while receiving soft skills training.

The class begins fabricating simple structures almost immediately. All students must pass a drug test to participate in the program and also receive forklift training and certification.

4-WEEK ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

During the program, apprentices have the opportunity to join Lost Angels as paid skilled laborers earning $18 an hour and continue their training by applying skills learned toward classic car restoration.

The program teaches highly transferable skills designed to help students land jobs in aeronautics, aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing industries.

In these last 4 weeks, students step into actual shop roles and take on the kind of projects they'd be handed on day one of a real job.

Auto Body & Paint — Full bodywork and color changes on real vehicles, with the occasional custom paint job thrown in.

Welding & Fabrication — Students build crash safety roll cages, bash bars, and custom chassis from scratch.

Mechanics — Hands-on work building full wiring harnesses, engine swaps, and suspension upgrades.

Tech Lab — Students 3D design and model chassis, steering wheels, and more, then learn to cut those components out on a CNC plasma table and laser. They also machine their own suspension bushings and parts on a CNC lathe.

We Help With

GED/Diploma
Tutoring
Driver Permit/License
Perscription Glasses
Reliable transportation
Food insecurity
Healthcare needs

Soft Skills

Financial Literacy
Resume building
Interview Prep
Mock interviews
Employer Expectations
Sexual Harrassment Training
Professionalism in the Workplace

Industry Basics

Hands-on Training in:

Welding & Fabrication
Blueprinting
Mechanics
Electrical and Soldering
Teardown and assembly
Auto Body & Paint
3D Design and Modeling
CNC Machining
CNC Plasma / Laser

Paid Job Training

Hired by Lost Angels
Industry training
Drug screening
Forklift certification
Graduate with money in your pocket and experience on your resume

Career Placement

During the last 8 weeks, employers come on-site to interview our students, and some walk away with job offers before they even graduate.

Our grads go on to become Aircraft Structure Mechanics, Painters, CNC Machinists, Composite Technicians, and Electrical Harness Technicians, averaging $23 to $25 an hour with full benefits.

THE WHY

After years of working with students in our after-school program, we realized one of the biggest struggles our young people faced after turning 18 was landing that first job. They kept running into that same age-old catch-22: how do you get a job with no experience, and how do you get experience with no job?

THE SOLUTION

In 2020, LACP partnered with the City of Lancaster, Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), and America's Job Center (AJCC) to create the Lost Angels Work Program. The program offers job training and transitional employment in an industrial manufacturing and automotive restoration social enterprise to transition-age youth (18-24) experiencing poverty and homelessness.

Since then, the program has grown to serve over 150 students a year, with a 97% graduation rate and a 95% right-to-work rate. As partners like JCOD and DEO continue to invest in what we're building, we're able to expand and give even more young people a leg up in life, using their hands.