A Carson contractor began his business more than a year ago, looking to "fix and flip" houses. That was still the plan until this fall, when Lamora Wilson signed up for a small business boot camp offered by LAUSD.

During the eight-week course offered one evening a week, Wilson learned a bevy of information about how to submit a winning bid for a public works project. For Wilson, the course lowered his fear quotient about bidding for work on LAUSD's $20 billion construction program that's scheduled to build 132 schools by 2012.

"It'll take years to obtain this information any other way," Wilson said. "Because a lot of times you learn it the hard way."

The classes resembled an apprenticeship program, said Wilson, a carpenter who has build bridges, carports and other structures in the past 25 years. He learned step-by-step instructions for submitting the bid, proper paperwork, insurance liability requirements and the bonding process.

Wilson completed the boot camp a week ago with 74 others from across Southern California. The district hosted a "graduation" ceremony Nov. 29. LAUSD uses the program to cultivate new contractors, having awarded $50 million to contractors who've completed it.

"These graduates represent our continued partnership with local businesses to attract the skilled labor necessary to complete our building program's mission of providing a neighborhood school on a traditional two-semester calendar for every student," said Guy Mehula, the district's chief facilities executive.

In total, 550 small businesses have completed the program, which also teaches contractors how to obtain public works contracts with other agencies.