PCC’s Future of Work Webinar Series Focuses on Wildfire Recovery

Pasadena City College is excited to introduce its 2026 Future of Work Webinar Series. The school is hosting three webinars on Thursday, June 4th, Thursday, September 3rd, and Thursday, November 5th to inform and engage its constituents in the wildfire recovery process. The 2025 Altadena Fire came dangerously close to the campus and affected thousands of PCC’s students, families, employees, and neighbors. The webinar series is designed to give all concerned the opportunity to contribute to the recovery while improving their personal and professional economic situations at the same time.

Contending with the Fallout From the Disastrous Altadena Fire

The 2025 Altadena wildfire (the Eaton fire) wiped out the entire community. Over 9,400 buildings were destroyed, and 17 people lost their lives. Thousands more lost their homes, businesses, schools, parks, cafes, shops, restaurants, and more. In its aftermath, unexpected environmental concerns began popping up, escalating the already eye-popping financial losses that are believed to exceed $200 Billion (including actual losses and insurance claims). Local governments and agencies were responding well before the flames were quelled, finding temporary housing, food supplies, and healthcare resources for affected residents. After extinguishing the fires, those entities launched the ‘recovery and rebuild’ process: identifying and removing hazards before construction crews moved in, carting off the thousands of tons of debris, and clarifying where and how public utilities and resources needed repairs or replacements.

Now, ~18 months after the fires exploded, site inspectors are finding evidence that the fires released more toxins and environmental hazards than were first anticipated. Workers are discovering high levels of lead, heavy metals, asbestos, and even arsenic in the ashes and remains of the buildings, which are preventing many locals from even entering their property, let alone beginning the rebuilding process. Consequently, not only is there a high demand for well-trained construction workers, but the demand for specialized workers is on a swift rise, those trained to address the added concerns of toxins and health threats that are evolving as the neighborhood continues its recovery process.

As a neighbor and deeply invested community member, Pasadena City College (PCC) is stepping up to address these workforce challenges. A leader in workforce development initiatives, PCC’s Economic and Workforce Division (EWD) is hosting a series of webinars designed to engage all aspects of the rebuild process – businesses, employers, industries, and labor entities. The intent is to gather together as many resources as possible around a series of webinar discussions, allowing attendees to contribute their perspectives to the decisions needed to achieve as complete a recovery as possible.

PCC’s Future of Work Webinar Objectives

As a premier college within the California Community College system, PCC is unique for its forward-leaning approach to workforce and economic development. This three-part webinar series is another demonstration of the College’s innovative workforce development initiative. It focuses on educating its constituents about the realities of the recovery process while offering opportunities to enhance their personal and professional lives at the same time:

• While all the area’s employers are critical to a fully successful recovery, many of them may be overwhelmed by the challenges posed by recovery processes. Webinar #1 (June 4, 2026 – 10 AM – 11:30 AM) is designed to give both for-profit and non-profit entities structure and insights into what’s happening and how existing resources can benefit their activities. The conversation will encourage increasing levels of collaboration across businesses and business sectors.
• The aftermath of the fires revealed not just the weaknesses that caused the failures of aging public systems, but also the absence of capacities that were capable of responding more effectively to the conflagration. The goal of the rebuild process is to embed a newly resilient infrastructure to replace that which was destroyed by the flames. Further, newly discovered – and unexpected – environmental hazards have been complicating recovery efforts so far. These also need a full vetting to ensure they are properly managed. The second webinar (Thursday, September 3, 10 AM – 11:30 AM) will cover these issues and topics.
• Ironically, the fire recovery effort has also opened doors to new employment and occupational opportunities. Just as businesses and industries are evolving to meet these challenges, so are workforce standards regarding skills and talents. While too many construction jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of appropriate talent, almost all occupations are adding technological skills to their mandates, making it more difficult to find work even in this hiring environment. Accordingly, PCC’s EWD is focused on rebuilding the ‘talent pipeline directive’ within its courses and programs. Webinar #3 (Thursday, November 5th, 10 AM – 11:30 AM) addresses these efforts, as PCC shares its growth in these critical training programs. Companies that have landed rebuilding contracts need a fully trained labor force to complete those obligations. PCC is working to ensure that it can provide that workforce when it’s needed.

While each installment focuses on specific topics, the trio of conversations is designed to:

• build relationships across sectors and entities
• improve employer relations with the school and its community
• educate students on job and career options in existing and emerging occupations, and
• establish a communications and engagement infrastructure to ensure an ongoing collaboration across community assets that transcends these issues and supports the region into the future.

Additionally, each webinar will address how distinct populations can participate in the recovery process. Employers need new workers; industries need more business members; workers need more training. PCC’s EWD is uniquely situated to connect all these resources into a stronger, more resilient recovery effort by giving each a forum in which to raise their concerns, air their needs, and find responses to their challenges. Please register to attend one or all – Altadena and the greater LA region are depending on your support.