With the recent launch of the fall LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy, UNITE-LA proudly launched its Executive Leadership Exchange—a new speaker series in partnership with the Big Energy Group—with an inspiring conversation featuring Michelle Gaskill-Hames, President of Kaiser Permanente.

On Sept. 16, UNITE-LA was very proud the LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy launched its sixth cohort, welcoming 62 students!

Our growing partnership with Accenture took an exciting step forward this year as UNITE-LA was asked to serve as a key recruitment partner for the launch of their pilot Digital Storytelling Academy.

UNITE-LA proudly welcomes its 10th Step into Tech cohort—23 participants and two Emerging Leaders (Step into Tech alumni)—into a transformative journey toward tech careers.

Over the last three weeks, UNITE-LA partnered with the Los Angeles Rams on their 7th Annual High School Academic Challenge, reaching more than 500 LAUSD students through campus tours, NCAA presentations and career panels at UCLA.

UNITE-LA is thrilled to announce our President, Alysia Bell, has been appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve on the California Workforce Development Board!

UNITE-LA, in partnership with the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative, convened foster youth leaders and staff from the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services’ (DCFS) Youth Engagement Section (YES) for a “Measuring What Matters” training. Youth and system leaders worked together to begin identifying a shared set of metrics that will guide YES in improving outcomes for transition-age youth.

This summer, the Project CAMINOS STEM Summer Academy at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) welcomed high school students from across Los Angeles for a week of hands-on STEM exploration. Now in its sixth year, Project CAMINOS has been supported by the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative since 2023. Both initiatives aim to expand college access, persistence and degree completion in computer science and engineering, particularly for women-identifying students, who make up roughly 20 percent of students enrolled in those programs.

In partnership with the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, UNITE-LA has taken the lead in advancing apprenticeship opportunities across Los Angeles County through our Apprenticeship Bootcamp Series. The series has brought together local organizations to strengthen their understanding of registered apprenticeship programs and begin developing actionable plans for implementation.

On Sept. 18, UNITE-LA convened education and workforce leaders from across the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative for an immersive visit to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) F.E. Weymouth Water Treatment Plant and Water Quality Lab in La Verne. The session brought together K-12, community college and university career technical education administrators with workforce development specialists, and featured a guided facilities tour, a briefing from MWD leaders and a skills-and-opportunities discussion highlighting how the computer science (CS) and engineering pathways power one of California’s most essential industries. Participants experienced a clearer view of in-demand technical and soft skills, potential internship and employment pathways and concrete ideas for connecting classroom learning to real-world applications across regional CS and engineering pathways.