Intech: A life changing opportunity for low-income students

Danngely Lorenzana was a warehouse worker loading trucks for minimum wage and spending long hours driving a forklift. With only a high school diploma and little money for higher education, Lorenzana thought he was stuck in a job with no future. Then he found Intech.

“Before Intech, life was beating me up, and I was tired of working so hard for such long hours to still barely feel like I’m not making enough,” said Lorenzana, a 2021 graduate of Chaffey Community College’s Industrial Technical Learning Center.

Known as Intech, the center has free programs that teach welding, automation, robotics and electronics to prepare students for skilled blue-collar jobs.

Intech separates itself from other community college programs by its dedication to helping students with state-of-the-art training equipment similar to what they will find on the job, along with assisting them to find work. 

“Us students are trying to do better for ourselves, our families, and our future,” said Brian Mena, an Intech student. “Some people have it really hard right now but we’re all in this together.”

The program is entirely grant funded and heavily supported by the James Irvine Foundation, which has donated more than $4 million in the course of six years to Chaffey College, according to foundation records. The majority of donations went to Intech. 

The funds are crucial to maintaining and updating Intech’s facility, which is filled with the same types of equipment Amazon and Walmart distribution facilities have. As a result, most Intech alumni need little training once they are hired and more than 50 percent of students have jobs before graduation.

Intech also works with employers and program alumni to constantly update the center’s curriculum to match companies’ needs. 

“I’ve really seen the benefits of incorporating real equipment into our programs, whether it’s our students excelling on only the first day of jobs or adapting well to different companies,” said Laura Alvarado, director of Intech.

However, the program’s commitment to serving as the liaison between employers and students is the most important component of Intech, mentioned by students and teachers.

Intech hosts job fairs, potential employers and Intech alumni to connect students with employment opportunities. The final two weeks of classes are dedicated to bringing companies ranging from FedEx and Nordstrom to mom and pop shops to interview students. Intech’s leadership team ensures companies visiting the center pay students more than minimum wage. After graduation, the amount of employed students rises to around 70 percent. 

“I’ve never made more than $20 an hour, and then I went to this five-month course, got this job that now paid an hourly wage of 30, and my whole life changed,” Lorenzana said. 

To continue Intech’s Industrial, Electrical, and Mechanical program, the center recently received a substantial grant that will support the class in automation, robotics and mechatronics for 2 ½  years. Program director Alvarado said she could not yet announce the donor or the exact amount. However, she said the grant will fund the education of more than 100 students.

Assemblymember and Chair of the Higher Education Committee Mike Fong, D-Monterey Park, has introduced a bill to provide funding to community colleges that connect students with employers, as Intech does.

“We need to continue to prioritize funding for these workforce programs,” Fong said.

Due to Intech’s lasting impact, many Intech alums, including Lorenzana, return to the program as teachers.

“Because of this program I and many students no longer break our backs or sweat like we used to while also making great money,” Lorenzana said. “It’s important that programs like Intech continue.”