In August, UNITE-LA's Edgar Castillo, senior manager, Workforce Development Policy and Systems, spoke before the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Committee to request their support in signing the National Skills Coalition’s Business Leaders United Appropriations sign-on letter.

Since 2019, UNITE-LA has worked with L.A. area community colleges and California State University campuses to learn about what barriers exist that hinder students’ abilities to transfer from one institution to another. In partnership with numerous philanthropic organizations, UNITE-LA has collected and analyzed data from 20 regional institutions; brought campuses together to explore data, policies and relationships; and ideated solutions to problems identified in the process.

On Aug. 14, UNITE-LA had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Cleantech Academy Summer 2025 Graduation Ceremony, held at the John Ferraro Building in Downtown L.A. The event was an opportunity for UNITE-LA and LADWP to celebrate four Cleantech alumni, Princess Leus, Felix Peng, Jocelyn Mungia and Vivian Morales, successfully completing their 10-week summer internship program. The lively celebration featured a full agenda organized by LADWP, including a group photo, lunch, a presentation from recruitment services, intern presentations, mentor remarks and certificate presentations.

Last month, UNITE-LA's Geraldine Contreras-Jaimerena, associate director, Career Pathways and Talent Development, and Daniel De La Luz, case manager, LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy, attended the Building Resilient Futures Career Fair hosted by West Los Angeles College's (WLAC's) Center for Climate Change Education and Career Center. The event, attended by close to 300 community members, was an opportunity for UNITE-LA to engage with employers and young adults interested in pursuing careers in sustainability. Our team shared information about UNITE-LA's upcoming fall programming, including the Cleantech Academy, Step into Tech and the Tech and Health Care Career Fair.

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. Project CAMINOS, now in its sixth year, 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 and particularly for women-identifying students, who make up roughly 20% of students enrolled in those programs.

UNITE-LA was proudly represented at the L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity’s High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) kick-off event on July 9.

Last month, UNITE-LA's My Pathway to Health program had 25 participants successfully earn their Basic Life Support (BLS) training certifications, with two more already certified from a previous session—bringing our total to 27 BLS-certified participants!

We are proud to spotlight Propel America, one of our valued My Pathway to Health partners, for their recent recognition as a recipient of the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) award!

On Tuesday, July 22, UNITE-LA co-hosted the Southern California Apprenticeship Network (SCAN) mixer alongside the Orange County Regional Consortium at Madero 1899 Cocina y Cantina.

On June 30, UNITE-LA and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) co-hosted a regional lunch and learn to convene subregional leads and partners for an energizing conversation on advancing work-based learning (WBL) across the L.A. region.