Carson’s Cal State Dominguez Hills has received a $7.6 million federal grant to train 350 aspiring, low-income math and science teachers for LAUSD schools over the next five years, including those in the South Bay cities of Carson, Gardena and Lomita, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City.

The Accelerated Preparation Program for Leaders in Education — or APPLE — will give prospective teachers the opportunity to earn credentials for both multiple and single subjects; usually such credentials are offered in separate programs.

The program is designed for those who can’t afford a traditional student-teaching or residency program, allowing them to become teachers and receive a salary as they complete their studies. It will also help provide teachers for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“APPLE will help (local schools) address an acute and persistent need for elementary teachers with a strong background in math and science and for middle school single-subject math and science teachers,” said Kamal Hamdan, director of the Center for Innovation in Science Technology Engineering and Math Education at Dominguez Hills, which is managing the program.

“The APPLE project will be a difference-maker,” Hamdan added. “This will affect the lives of over 100,000 students per year. “