Unite-La

Workforce Programs including L.A. Cash for College, Workforce Development, LA Youth at Work (LAYAW), My Pathway to Health, Step into Tech, and Avantus Cleantech Career Academy: L.A. Cash for College - L.A. Cash for College (LA-CFC) provides direct support, information, and resources for financial aid to students and families across Los Angeles. This is done in collaboration with a wide network of nonprofits, college access providers, high school counselors, and local higher education admissions staff. Programming is year-long, with financial aid workshops and events beginning in the fall semester and concluding in the spring. This past school year, due to now living with a pandemic, L.A. Cash for College resumed its in-person programming with L.A. Cash for College: College and Career Fair at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. (The previous two years, UNITE-LA reimagined L.A. Cash for College to offer students virtual programming.) As well, our scholarship awards program, Dollars for Scholars, continued with its virtual format and awarded L.A. Cash for College participants more than $20,000 in Dr. Alma Salazar Scholarship money. Workforce Development - For over 20 years, UNITE-LA has led business education partnership programs to help develop a prepared, diverse, local talent pipeline. Working in collaboration with business partners, UNITE-LA leads and supports programs focused on exposing students to high-growth, high-demand career pathways, including STEAM. This impact of workforce programming throughout 2022 includes 2800 Students engaexperience-based learning activities, 175 Employers engaged in career awareness, exploration, preparation, and paid work experience programming, and 150 students were placed in paid work experiences. LA Youth at Work - UNITE-LA utilizes an innovative, virtual program consisting of a six-week curriculum designed to help youth develop the essential, non-technical soft skills that will promote their success in the workplace. My Pathway to Health - Creates paid opportunities for young Angelenos to succeed in allied health careers. Through career exploration, job readiness and training in a specified health pathway, future health care professionals develop real-world skills they need to succeed in high-demand, high-growth careers. Step into Tech- Provides paid opportunity connecting system-involved individuals from 18-35 years old to pathways to careers in technology through career and training exploration, job skills training, mentoring, and peer-to-peer support. Avantus Cleantech Career Academy - Through education, job-readiness programs and paid work-based learning, future clean energy leaders develop the real-world skills employers need and gain access to high-growth, high-wage jobs.

PUBLIC POLICY: The Policy team at UNITE-LA makes sure our local and state leaders are putting the needs of the unserved and underserved first and do so by continuing long-standing and building new partnerships with business organizations to mobilize private sector leaders on critical issues impacting the wellbeing of the communities where they conduct business. Policy works around topics such as early childcare and education, immigration, opportunity youth and many others to ensure business leaders are not only aware but can also be part of the solution to key, societal issues so that all youth have an opportunity to succeed in life.

Systems Changes including L.A. Compact and K-16 Collaborative: L.A. Compact - Since 2008, UNITE-LA has convened the L.A. Compact, a bold commitment to close the education and workforce gaps caused by systemic inequities and racism. Recognizing that no single institution alone can solve our most pressing, complex education and workforce challenges, the L.A. Compact brings together the region's most prominent leaders to collectively lead transformative change. Our unique role as an intermediary allows us to build consensus among diverse stakeholders through collaborative strategies, creating more sustainable and scalable education and workforce solutions. K-16 Collaborative - The L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative is a collective effort to close racial and gender attainment gaps in postsecondary education and employment in L.A. County, starting with a focus on streamlined pathways to health care, engineering, and computer science careers. Following a state grant award last August to launch the Collaborative, UNITE-LA is working with West Ed and a stewardship group of cross-sector partners to guide a sub-grant award process is allocating $13.9 million across five sub-regions of L.A. County. These regional partnerships will coalesce K-12, higher ed, workforce and community partners around a shared plan to accelerate degree attainment in high-growth fields for students of color.