“I’ve been teaching at our center since we first opened in 1979,” advised San Diego Job Corps electrical trade instructor Randall Mann.  “I think it’s the first time the center has had three generations of instructors from the same trade.”

At the beginning of his tenure at Job Corps, Mann taught the Solar Career Technical Training class and one of his students was San Diego native John Gallagher.  Gallagher later returned to the center as instructor, working with Mann in the solar program. 

“The trade later split into the plumbing and electrical trades,” advised Gallagher, who now works at the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center in Tucson, Arizona.  Gallagher serves as the facilities maintenance instructor and lead instructor for all the center’s construction trades. “I learned a lot about solar, electrical, and plumbing from Randall,” Gallagher continued, “and we became good friends.”

In 1998, 17 year old Jose Martinez enrolled at the San Diego Center.  He earned his General Education Diploma while completing the plumbing trade.  “John Gallagher fueled my eagerness to learn and inspired me to become a plumber,” he stated.  “He and Randall became my mentors.”

After graduating from Job Corps, Martinez began an apprenticeship at Roto Rooter in San Diego, while earning several certifications in the plumbing fields.  After working for several companies, he opened his own plumbing business.  When Gallagher left the San Diego center this spring for the Tucson center, Martinez was hired to replace him as the plumbing instructor.

“It’s been great working with John and Jose,” Mann stated.  “They are excellent communicators and teachers and relate well to the students.  It’s been very satisfying to see them and thousands of other young people over the past 34 years take advantage of the opportunities Job Corps provided them.”