The Construction Tools for Schools Program: TRADART Foundation, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Contractors Association, The Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Barbara City College, and the SB County Education Office administered Regional Occupational Program (ROP), has taken steps to keep the construction trades alive in our local schools by creating the Tools for Schools program. This program distributes tools and building materials, as well as other resources, to local Santa Barbara area junior and senior high school wood shop and construction classes. This allows our schools to maintain these important  programs for student access and allows the teachers to teach a more comprehensive curriculum which exposes students to the opportunities available to them in the construction trades. Additionally, TRADART works with the schools and local agencies to find creative ways to keep the programs funded. TRADART networks with local contractors and community organizations to assure that students enrolled in these classes have the instructional resources available in their classrooms to be successful as they learn the skills and abilities required for them to enter the local labor market as a first step in their journey to a satisfying and profitable career. 

TRADART has also partnered with the Santa Barbara County Education Office's Partners In Education to provide local junior and senior high school students with additional resources. Volunteers from industry have made themselves available to go into classrooms on a rotating basis approximately once per month and act as "guest speakers" providing students with examples of "real world" experiences and communicate to students the opportunities that are available to them if they successfully complete their high school classes. The speakers inform students about the job opportunities available in the construction trades, provide classroom demonstrations and offer job placement opportunities for interested students. Topics related to job seeking and job keeping skills are periodically presented to the students in these classes to help prepare them for pursuing further education and/or to enter the workforce.  Through this "speakers bureau" Santa Barbara City College professors also provide the students with information about advanced training opportunities at the college.