POLA TEACH Prepares Workforce for Zero-Emission Cargo Jobs

The Port of Los Angeles launched a new workforce education initiative this week to prepare Southern California workers for a shift toward zero-emission cargo-handling equipment and trucks. The program, known as Port of Los Angeles Teaching Energy Advancement in Cargo Handling (POLA TEACH), brought together school districts, community colleges, and maritime industry leaders for their first in-person gathering at the Banning’s Landing Community Center, according to the Port of Los Angeles.

This isn’t just a classroom exercise. It is a direct response to the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, a framework that sets ambitious goals for reducing emissions from cargo handling equipment and trucks. As the hardware on the docks changes from internal combustion to electric and hydrogen, the skill sets required to fix and operate that hardware change with it. If the workforce isn’t ready, the transition doesn’t just stall—it leaves local workers behind.

Bridging the Gap Between Campus and Cargo

The POLA TEACH initiative acts as a connective tissue between the people who design curricula and the people who run the terminals. By linking the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office with actual terminal operators, the program ensures that what a student learns in a lab at Long Beach City College or Los Angeles Harbor College is actually applicable to a zero-emission crane or chassis in the field.

During this week’s event, educators didn’t just talk theory; they took harbor boat tours and visited Yusen Terminals to see cargo-handling operations in real-time. The goal is to move beyond the virtual meetings that kicked off the program in October 2025 and provide direct access to the equipment driving the energy transition.

“As we continue our transition to zero-emission operations, we need to make sure our workforce is prepared for the jobs and opportunities that come with these new technologies,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.

The stakes are particularly high for the surrounding communities. Historically, the “goods movement” sector has provided stable, middle-class pathways for local residents. However, the leap to zero-emission tech creates a technical barrier. Without targeted training, these new, high-tech roles could be filled by outside contractors rather than the local workforce.

The Economic Friction of Green Tech

While the environmental mandate is clear, the economic transition is rarely smooth.

By bringing in representatives from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and El Camino College, the Port is attempting to shorten that feedback loop. Avin Sharma, Senior Director of Workforce and Government Affairs at the Port of Los Angeles, noted that the program is designed to connect education with real-world industry needs so communities can compete for these jobs.

The program’s structure reflects this urgency. Rather than a one-off seminar, POLA TEACH will hold quarterly meetings. These sessions will focus on specific types of zero-emission equipment, featuring direct input from the manufacturers and repair technicians who actually get their hands dirty. This ensures the training evolves as the technology does.

Who Wins and Who Loses in the Transition?

The immediate beneficiaries are the students and displaced workers in Southern California who can now access a pipeline to “green-collar” jobs. For the Port, the benefit is operational stability; a fleet of zero-emission trucks is useless if there isn’t a local workforce capable of repairing them during a breakdown.

However, the transition also presents a challenge for veteran mechanics trained exclusively on diesel engines.

California Assemblymember Mike Fong, who participated in the program, emphasized the necessity of this direct access to equipment. The transition is no longer a future projection; it is an active operational shift happening across the San Pedro Bay.

The next phase of the initiative will move into these specialized quarterly deep-dives, focusing on the technical knowledge required to keep the zero-emission fleet moving. As the Port of Los Angeles pushes toward its clean air goals, the focus has shifted from the machines themselves to the people required to run them.