Warren High students build 100 bunk beds for wildfire victims

DOWNEY — At the beginning of October, students from Warren High School’s SkillsUSA program participated in the Lowe’s Generation T Bunk Bed Build at Rose Bowl Stadium to build 100 bunk beds with most that will be donated to victims of last year’s Camp Fire in Northern California.

Alongside 300 other SkillsUSA students, these 22 Construction Technology students from Warren spent the day constructing and building bunk beds to help children in need and raise awareness of the skilled trades gap that is currently impacting California.

While the skilled trades shortage affects the entire country, its impacts are great in California. The construction industry in California has lost nearly 20 percent of its workforce over the past 11 years, according to a study released by Buildzoom.

To help close the skilled trades gap and in partnership with more than 60 national organizations, Lowe’s launched Generation T, a movement that offers skilled trades career and training opportunities for students. The Generation T program also includes immersion events such as this one that allows students to gain additional exposure to skilled trades through hands-on experiences.

Warren High School’s SkillsUSA Construction Technology students participated in this event to give back to the community and connect with the various industry partners that took part in the Bunk Build which included Lowe’s, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Timberland, Samsung, People Ready and Tuft & Needle.

The high school students who participated in this event are on a carpentry track, meaning that they are completing carpentry career and technical education (CTE) courses, in addition to completing the SkillsUSA framework components. Once these students complete their CTE courses, they will receive industry certification.

Other high school students who participated in this event were from Beverly Hills, Bellflower, Century, Lancaster, Montocito, North, Oxford Academy, Rose, South Pasadena and Westminster high schools.

According to an event release, “carpentry careers are expected to grow by at least eight percent in a 10-year time frame, with trade school and apprenticeship graduates boasting a high degree of employability.” This fact alone thrusts these 22 Warren SkillsUSA Construction Technology students towards a successful future post-graduation.

The bunk beds were donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that works to address child bedlessness. Some bunk beds were distributed to Pasadena families immediately following the event; others were loaded on trucks and transported 10 hours north, designated for families impacted by the Camp wildfire last year. Tuft & Needle and Serta donated the mattresses and bedding to accompany the 100 bunk beds.