New Los Angeles high school aims to train Hollywood production workers

A high school dedicated to creating a pipeline of diverse workers for Hollywood production crews and backed by the actor George Clooney has opened, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Roybal School of Film and Television Production Magnet opened last month with 150 ninth- and 10th-grade students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

It is housed within the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in downtown Los Angeles and is designed to draw students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in entertainment but may lack the opportunity to break into well-paid union jobs such as camera operators, set decorators and makeup artists.

“It’s like training to be a doctor. You’re going to learn a trade [and] if you work and get good at your trade, there will be jobs for you,” Clooney told the newspaper in an interview. “We’re in desperate need of workers.”

Clooney and other celebrities,  joined LAUSD superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho at a press event Wednesday to mark the school’s debut.