West Los Angeles College has been awarded a $12 million federal grant, the single largest in the college’s history, to develop and oversee apprenticeship programs in numerous vocations for as many as 5,000 students over the next four years.

WLAC, located at 9000 Overland Ave. in Culver City, is the lead college on the U.S. Department of Labor grant. Administrators will work with five other colleges in the U.S., as well as the South Bay Workforce Investment Board and numerous private-sector employers and professional organizations, on its implementation.

“The Los Angeles Community College District, which includes WLAC, has a strong commitment to educating the workforce of tomorrow and to providing equal opportunities for all who want to purse their dreams of higher education and well-paying jobs,” Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez said. “This grant positions our community colleges to continue to be responsive to employer needs and help build strong regional economies.”

The grant is part of a larger, $183 million effort by the U.S. Department of Labor to work with more than 20 academic institutions and other public-private partnerships throughout the country to create as many as 85,000 internships and on-the-job training opportunities. WLAC will work on the grant’s implementation with College of the Canyons and El Camino College in California; Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada; Columbia College of South Carolina; and Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.  In addition to the Hawthorne, -based South Bay Workforce Investment Board, WLAC will partner with the Aerospace Industries Association, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Institute for American Apprenticeships and 17 private sector employers on creating programs and internships.

“Community colleges help ensure that quality education is accessible to everyone, and they work hard to meet their students’ needs wherever they are in their career and education,” said U.S. Rep Karen Bass, (D-Los Angeles), whose district include WLAC. “I am delighted that West Los Angeles College has won this significant grant to increase access to local job and internship opportunities. In order to invest in our future, we must invest in our students.”

The program is expected to launch this fall.

For information, visit laccd.edu.