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

The L.A. Region K–16 Collaborative is the region's engine for aligning K–12 districts, higher education and industry partners to build seamless pathways into health care, computer science and engineering careers.

In 2025, UNITE-LA, alongside the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC), supported the transition of Horizons 32K from planning to implementation, marking a major step in the region's effort to reduce youth disconnection by 32,000 by 2028. This year, partners launched a multi-sector Stewardship Board bringing together leaders from K–12, postsecondary, workforce and holistic support agencies to guide collaborative action across systems that shape young adults' education-to-career pathways.

UNITE-LA is pleased to share that Kelly Reynolds, director of Education and Workforce Strategy & Policy at UNITE-LA, has been appointed as vice chair of the Education and Workforce Development Committee for the Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA).

On Dec. 8, UNITE-LA joined the Downtown L.A. Walking Tour hosted by the Select Committee on Downtown Revitalization, alongside Assemblymembers Matt Haney and Mark Gonzalez, representatives from Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove’s office and Councilmember Isabel Jurado.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, UNITE-LA's Kelly Reynolds and Adam Gottlieb traveled to Sacramento to host a briefing for legislative staffers on the K-16 Collaborative Grant Program in partnership with Capitol Impact.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, UNITE-LA hosted its final Education Means Business webinar of 2025 that focused on the state of early care and education amid budget cuts and financial challenges at the federal and state levels.

UNITE-LA had the pleasure of engaging in the California Economic Summit, which was attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom as well as several of the gubernatorial candidates.

At California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Dr. Amber Johnson often returns to a simple but transformative question: What would it look like if students experienced college as a place where they inherently belong, years before they ever apply? As an associate professor of Health Science and director of the Center for Health Equity Research, Dr. Johnson helped launch the Sankofa Summer Academy in partnership with CSULB’s College of Health and Human Services, the Sankofa Parent Village, and the Long Beach Unified School District’s (LBUSD) Black Student Excellence Center. As part of the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, convened by UNITE-LA, these partners came together to intentionally design an early pathway rooted in culture, belonging and opportunity. What began as a pilot effort has become a living example of how aligned systems can expand access and reimagine student futures.

On Dec. 17, colleagues from the LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy (Academy) were invited to join the Southern California Regional Energy Network's (SoCalREN) Regional Workforce Alliance meeting in Burbank, themed "SoCal’s Talent Pipeline: Converting Entertainment Skill Sets into Energy Sector Opportunities." The event served as an opportunity to spotlight the goals of the Academy and connect with leaders from the entertainment industry, higher education and the clean energy sector, including leaders from Woodbury University.