Dear Partners,

Thank you for making our 25th anniversary symposium, “Celebrating the Future of Collaboration,” an overwhelming success! Nearly 300 UNITE-LA friends, partners, sponsors and youth gathered at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College to celebrate our collective impact over the last quarter century, recognize the many individuals and institutions who helped make it all possible, and dream boldly about what we can achieve together in the next 25 years.

Attendees heard from national leaders about new federal initiatives that have evolved from the School-to-Work Opportunities Act – the federal grant that launched UNITE-LA – including the Unlocking Career Success initiative and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Vision 2030 roadmap. The Boeing Company shared how integral career pathway programs are to filling its talent needs and sustaining one of our region’s largest industries. TOOTRiS discussed the importance of having accessible resources for childcare providers, parents, employers and government through its technology platform in order to close workforce gaps. We celebrated those who were instrumental in our success, including founding president and chief executive officer David Rattray, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, and the City of Los Angeles. We heard from students about the impact of UNITE-LA’s Step into Tech and LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy programming on their career aspirations. Finally, through an intimate conversation with LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, we learned about the underlying causes of – and how the district is tackling - chronic absenteeism and how the district is strengthening partnerships to improve student outcomes.

During three breakout sessions, attendees heard from speakers about ways they can engage in UNITE-LA’s three growth areas: regional systems change efforts through the K-16 Regional Collaborative, business engagement in equitable cradle-through-career efforts, and inclusive cleantech workforce development programming.

Through collaboration, UNITE-LA’s impact has resonated, including advancing shared systems change goals through the L.A. Compact, advocating for equitable cradle-through-career policy priorities, launching career pathways in high-growth, high-mobility sectors, such as health care and technology, and serving 300,000 youth – associated with approximately $1 billion of state and federal financial aid - over two decades of L.A. Cash for College.

We invite your continued partnership and consideration for ongoing support by clicking here. Our work has only just begun, and we look forward to collaborating to further advance equitable economic mobility over UNITE-LA’s next 25 years!

Sincerely,

Alysia Bell
President, UNITE-LA