Each November, the Port of Long Beach works with high schools throughout the Long Beach Unified School District’s service area to invite young women high school students to its Celebrating Women in Trade event. At the luncheon event, each table is hosted by one or more women who are professionals in the local logistics industry and who guide the conversation and answer questions. Following lunch, a panel discussion features prominent women in the logistics field sharing their stories and offering advice about working in trade.
Women in Trade was launched in 2011 in order to help develop young women into future leaders in the industry. The event also fulfills one of the tenets of the Port’s landmark Green Port Policy, inaugurated in 2005 – to engage and educate the community.
The 12th annual luncheon, held Nov. 20, 2024, welcomed 15 students from each of 14 area public and private high schools, selected by school counselors, and 11th-graders from the Academy of Global Logistics (AGL) at Cabrillo High and the Advanced Manufacturing, Construction and Engineering pathway (ACE) Academy at Jordan High. The two programs are four-year pathways – focusing on logistics and advanced manufacturing, construction and engineering, respectively – that are partnerships between the Port and the Long Beach school district. In addition to the approximately 250 students, around 150 guests were invited from the Port and maritime and logistics industry for a total of around 400 attendees.