A new project labor agreement (PLA) in Santa Monica, CA will pave the way for the hiring of local residents and military veterans as workers and contractors, and will create an apprenticeship program for students, alumni and community members, officials from the Santa Monica-Malibu public school system said.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education approved the PLA with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

The agreement will “provide our students and alumni with opportunities to learn valuable skills in high paying construction trades, while providing local residents the opportunity to find work in the community,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Ben Drati.

“We are looking forward to working with all involved stakeholders on the implementation of this mutually beneficial agreement,” he said.

The agreement also calls for developing a training and apprenticeship program, as well as creating a manner for resolving disputes and guarantees to use a “sufficient number of skilled workers from union halls,” said Gail Pinsker, a district spokesperson.