Programs provide community benefits.

Long before crews began pouring pilings and riveting rail lines on the Alameda Corridor, the members of the Governing Board made it clear that they wanted the project to leave a legacy beyond the actual construction of the 20-mile-long rail cargo expressway.

The idea was to provide residents and business in Corridor communities with direct, tangible benefits that they could use in the future well after construction was completed.

This goal manifested itself, among other ways, in four programs carried out in partnership with various community and government groups: the Alameda Corridor Business Outreach Program; the Alameda Corridor Job Training and Development Program; the Alameda Corridor Conservation Corps Program and the Alameda Corridor International Trade Development Program.

"We have demonstrated that a large-scale public works project can provide focused community benefits to complement the benefits of the project itself," said Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) Chief Executive Officer James C. Hankla.

Here's a summary of the four community programs.

Alameda Corridor Business Outreach Program

Known as ACBOP, this program improved the ability of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) to compete with other firms for contracts with prime contractors working on the design and construction of the Alameda Corridor. DBEs are generally small or women- or minority-owned firms.

Through technical assistance and networking workshops, extensive outreach, and other methods, ACBOP helped to provide DBEs with the tools they needed to compete for work.

The program's goal was to help DBEs earn 22 percent of work awarded on the Alameda Corridor project - a very aggressive goal, considering the federal goal is only 10 percent. DBEs earned approximately 22 percent of ACTA work, or contracts worth more than $285 million.

Disadvantaged firms contributed to the project on a wide variety of levels - from engineering and design work to actual construction, from on-call right-of-way services to materials procurement.

"These are contracts that have been competitively fought and won," said Tim Buresh, ACTA's director of Construction and Engineering.

ACBOP was established through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Economic Development and ACTA. The Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Committee administers the program.

Alameda Corridor Job Training and Development Program

Established as part of the Mid-Corridor Trench contract, this program required that the contractor provide job training and placement services to 1,000 residents of communities along the project route.

Of the 1,000, 650 were to receive training in a construction trade in preparation for a union apprenticeship, and 350 were to receive nontrade training. Participants in the construction trade-training program received 400 hours of classroom instruction and paid on-the-job training over eight weeks. Non-trade training consisted of 20 hours of classroom instruction emphasizing construction industry-specific skills in areas such as computers, clerical and drafting.

A total of 880 local residents graduated from the pre-apprenticeship trade-training program, and 401 graduated from the non-trade program. In all, 710 local residents were placed in construction-related jobs on the Alameda Corridor or elsewhere following their graduation, including 637 in union apprenticeship programs.

"We are proud of the graduates, and we are proud of the fact that ACTA played a role in enhancing the future for local residents through transferable job skills that will last a lifetime," Hankla said.

Alameda Corridor Conservation Corps Program

Launched in June 2000, this program carried an original goal of recruiting, training and employing 200 young adults by May 31, 2001. But the program proved so successful that the Governing Board extended the contract through May 2002 and provided additional funding.

More than 420 young adults (ages 18-23) will have completed the program by its conclusion.

The program was managed by the Conservation Corps of Long Beach in conjunction with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, with funding and oversight provided by ACTA.

Recruits were paid minimum wage while working 32-36 hours per week on various beautification projects in Alameda Corridor communities. For 6-10 hours per week, they also received training and education - for example, credits toward a high school diploma. After three months, recruits had the option to join the Conservation Corps full time, phase into a Long Beach or Los Angeles city college program, or enroll in a business, vocational or trade school or apprenticeship program.

Among the many beautification projects undertaken, crews have planted more than 2,200 trees, removed more than 7.5 million pounds of debris, and eradicated graffiti from more than 4,600 locations in Corridor communities, including Carson, Compton, Lynwood, Huntington Park, South Gate and Vernon.

"This program was a real success story because the recruits are learning job skills and school credits while gaining on-the-job experience, many of them for the first time, while performing jobs that clean up local communities," said Mike Bassett, executive director of the Conservation Corps of Long Beach.

Alameda Corridor International Trade Development Program

This program was launched in December 2001 to help local residents and business capitalize on international trade facilitated by the Alameda Corridor.

Through one-on-one consulting provided by experts from the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles-Long Beach, at least 25 local companies will receive technical assistance. Consultants focus on helping companies identify new international market opportunities and clear hurdles in the import or export process, such as obtaining financing credit or reviewing freight logistics to enhance profitability.

In addition, the program provides technical training and job skills specific to international trade, targeting the entry-level employee. Among the international trade employees in high demand are import-export clerk, freight forwarder administrator and document or letter-of-credit processor. At least 20 local residents will receive training.

"This program leverages the Alameda Corridor's community outreach and job training expertise and the trade association's business assistance expertise and extensive contacts in the international trade to help stimulate the local economy," said Lee Harrington, President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles-Long Beach.