UNITE-LA strengthened Southern California's apprenticeship ecosystem by aligning workforce, education and industry partners to expand non-traditional earn-and-learn opportunities.

In 2025, UNITE-LA:

• Established consistent cross-sector alignment spaces by co-hosting monthly apprenticeship mixers with the Southern California Apprenticeship Network (SCAN), drawing 45–60 participants each session and engaging 40+ workforce, education and industry organizations to build partnerships and shared understanding.
• Expanded apprenticeship knowledge and readiness by launching a webinar series with the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network focused on apprenticeship fundamentals, program design and partnership development, reaching new and diverse stakeholders across education, workforce and industry systems.
• Advanced partners from learning to implementation by delivering a five-session Apprenticeship Bootcamp in partnership with SCAN. The series supported organizations in developing apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship program concepts aligned with industry standards, establishing connections to apprenticeship intermediaries and employers, and defining early implementation steps. Three organizations completed the full bootcamp and emerged with draft program models, identified target occupations and received concrete partnership commitments.

For more information, please reach out to Amber Chatman, Director of Workforce Systems and Policy, at [email protected] or Edgar Castillo, Senior Manager, Workforce Development Policy & Systems, at [email protected].