Former Hewlett-Packard president donates $100,000 to KCC Apprenticeship Center, honors Pinniger family

Rendering of the Apprenticeship Center at KCC. (Submitted image)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Klamath Community College is pleased to announce it has received a generous $100,000 donation from former Hewlett-Packard president, John Young, to help fund construction of an Apprenticeship Center that will house apprenticeship and training facilities for skilled trades at KCC.

John, former president and CEO of the Hewlett-Packard Co., grew up in Klamath Falls. His father, Lloyd “Lube” Young, was a supervising electrician at East Side Electric in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. John worked as an apprentice electrician during breaks from school, before graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University. Jim Pinniger, founder and owner of Precision Homes, was a college roommate and lifelong friend. These experiences gave John a deep appreciation for the importance of the trades. John noted that he wholeheartedly supports the efforts KCC is making to train a new generation of skilled trade workers.

“Providing opportunities for professional training and apprenticeships for today’s people to acquire the increasingly complex capabilities needed to do these skilled crafts is becoming more and more important,” John said. “The union-based training infrastructure that was in place when I was younger doesn’t exist anymore, and it’s up to institutions like KCC to provide training and opportunity for today’s trades workers.”

The 35,000-square-foot Apprenticeship Center will span five acres and include nearly 12,000 square feet of hands-on training space for students enrolled in industrial trades and apprenticeship programs such as electrical, plumbing, millwright, pipefitter, and machinist. The center will also include a fire training academy. Students enrolled in fire sciences and emergency medical operations programs will have a 3,200-square-foot fire training academy for wildland and structural fire instruction.

As part of the donation, John will name the Apprenticeship Center Industry and Construction Flex Lab in honor of Jim and Jean Pinniger. Jean has been a lifelong advocate for the Klamath Falls community and currently serves as a member of the KCC Foundation.

“The contributions to our community from Jim and Jean, and now John Young, are legacy gifts that are directly connected to developing human potential and will allow our community to grow and support generations of healthy families in Klamath Falls,” said KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez.

The center will provide space for hands-on training and pre-apprenticeship programs for transitioning high schoolers, increase career-technical program offerings, and offer specialized fire science training. Once complete, the project will help upskill the region’s workforce by providing a pipeline of skilled workers, which will bolster workforce development, create jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen the regional economy.

“John’s contribution to the center is an important step in bringing the Apprenticeship Center to life. The early support for the project has helped attract the additional foundation and individual contributions needed to reach the design and construction phase,” said KCC Foundation Executive Director Charles “Chip” Massie. “The college greatly appreciates the Young family’s support.

Although John did not follow in his father’s footsteps and become an electrician, he did have a career related to industrial trades. In addition to serving in several roles at Hewlett-Packard, John became a director at Chevron, Glaxo Smith Kline, Wells Fargo, and many small companies in the San Francisco Bay area.

John also chaired President Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Industrial Competitiveness and served as a chair of President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology from 1993 to 2000.

“After spending a lifetime working in career fields related to the trades, I am happy to help provide a way for new generations of trades professionals to contribute their talent and skill to our industries,” John said. “I am very interested in supporting the things that are going on at KCC.”