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Founded in 2008 by former U.S. Naval Officer Hernán Luis y Prado, Workshops for Warriors has trained more than 1,200 transitioning service members and veterans, including wounded warriors, who have earned more than 1,500 credentials in welding and machining, skilled work that offers a starting salary of roughly $60,000 a year. "Every veteran deserves an opportunity for a dignified career," says Luis y Prado, who was born in Buenos Aires, graduated from university in France, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy the day after receiving his U.S. citizenship. He knows firsthand the difficulty veterans face reentering civilian society. But just as important, citing statistics from Deloitte and e National Association of Manufacturers, Luis y Prado also knows there are currently more than 800,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs in the United States, a number projected to grow to more than 2,000,000 by the end of the decade. "Companies love veterans, but what they need are welders and machinists," he says. With a 94 percent job placement record, Workshops for Warriors attracts students from across the nation, providing certifications in welding or machining in as few as 16 weeks, as well as the opportunity to interview with many of the country's most prominent manufacturers. e classes are also offered in a manner familiar to veterans. Training times are compressed, and students are encouraged to take pride in their work and excel at their craft. "It's four months, five days a week, nine hours a day. No excuses. Four absences and you're disenrolled — no ifs, ands, or buts," says Luis y Prado. But Workshops for Warriors is more than just a school. Once a veteran enrolls, they have four months without any kind of financial distress. e GI Bill covers the cost of tuition, and for those who need it, housing, food, and even professional interview clothing is provided. "ese are veterans who've served 5, 10, 20 years, and who've proved their service to our nation. Transitioning is extremely stressful, especially when you consider many of these people now have families, car payments, and mortgages. Like anyone going through a big change, most of them just need a supportive place to get their heads straight before embarking on their next mission in life," says Luis y Prado. And it is a mission. Unlike most industrialized nations, the United States does not have a national training pipeline for manufacturing work. Instead, as many Americans now understand, prior to the pandemic, U.S. companies spent decades outsourcing manufacturing to foreign countries to keep labor costs down. e shortcomings of that strategy became apparent during the lockdown, and Workshops for Warriors is working to change the situation. Having trademarked the phrase Rebuilding American Manufacturing, One Veteran at a Time, the school is currently in the midst of a $15 million matching gift campaign. With a 100 percent rating on Charity Navigator for seven years running, Workshops for Warriors has grown exponentially since its founding 16 years ago. Furnished with the most advanced equipment available, the school now has more welding booths than the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the General Dynamics NAASCO shipyard combined, while its ever-expanding campus comprises more than 400 times the square footage it did when it first opened. With the purchase of surrounding properties, the school is about to double its number of yearly graduates from 200 to 400, and will be doubling that again to 800 as it prepares to break ground on an entirely new building. ere are even plans down the road to open an East Coast campus in Norfolk, Virginia. It is hard to believe that back in 2003, when Luis y Prado returned to the United States after three deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was planning to become a doctor, having taken all the necessary coursework and standardized tests. Five years later, he and his wife, Rachel, now COO of Workshops for Warriors, cashed in their assets to launch the organization. It is a truly remarkable San Diego success story, for which Luis y Prado has been honored extensively, including as a "Champion of Change" by President Obama in 2012. On September 14, Workshops for Warriors will hold its annual fundraising gala aboard the USS Midway. workshopsforwarriors.com PHOTO BY BOB STEFANKO Focus military << ranchandcoast.com 48 AUGUST 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE Hernán Luis y Prado