L.A. Cash for College (L.A. CFC) is the largest college access and financial aid campaign in Greater L.A., providing youth with college preparation and financial aid information, resources and technical assistance to pursue and persist in postsecondary education. To date, L.A. CFC has helped 323,000+ youth, especially low-income youth of color, prepare for college and apply for financial aid and has leveraged more than $800 million in financial aid support.
L.A. Youth at Work invests in our young adults to develop the future workforce. LAYAW solicits entry-level job commitments and internship opportunities from private sector employers then trains and certifies young adults between the ages of 16-24, free of charge and regardless of income or residency, with the skills necessary to qualify for entry-level employment.
Step into Tech is a paid, work-based learning opportunity designed to connect justice-involved and justice-impacted individuals to career pathways in technology.
My Pathway to Health is a paid work-based learning opportunity for young adults, ages 18-24, connecting them to careers in allied health.
The Tech Pathways Academy is a nine-week, after-school academy focused on career awareness, certification and enrichment that develops the next generation of industry leaders. Through a series of activities, youth will experience the many career paths in popular tech industries.
The LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy creates opportunities for students to succeed in California’s green energy future. Through education, job-readiness programs and paid work-based learning, future clean energy leaders develop the real-world skills employers need and gain access to high-growth, high-wage jobs.
South L.A. Scholars Plus (+) provides paid work experience in a health care setting for South L.A. students enrolled in health-career-themed high schools. The program is designed to connect students, especially low-income and underrepresented youth residing in South Los Angeles, to meaningful summer internship opportunities, and help youth develop the necessary skills to secure future employment in the health sector.
UNITE-LA's Tech Pathways recognize that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. We work to bridge this gap by working with industry, educational institutions, community-based organizations and the City of Los Angeles to connect underserved talent to careers in technology.
UNITE-LA is committed to addressing critical health care workforce shortages to ensure a thriving regional economy. We're working with L.A.'s health care employers to create a diverse talent pipeline.
Collective input, collective action, collective impact. The L.A. Compact is a bold commitment by Los Angeles leaders from education, business, government, labor, and non-profit sectors, to transform education outcomes from cradle to career, ensuring that today’s youth have the skills necessary to compete and succeed in a 21st century global workforce.
The L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative is closing postsecondary attainment and workforce gaps for BIPOC students by streamlining pathways into health care, engineering and computer science careers. The K-16 Collaborative is leveraging existing initiatives and relationships across L.A. County, uniting higher education segments and institutions, K-12 districts and schools, employers and business organizations, local government, and community partners to amplify our collective impact on equitable degree attainment.
Our nation's equitable recovery, maximization of human capital and improved economic mobility depend on better informed collaboration among business, economic development leaders, regional workforce systems and education and training institutions. Each face new and large-scale challenges that demand an integrated approach.
The Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) is committed to ensuring that every resident, business and community in Los Angeles County has access to affordable, high-speed internet, essential digital tools and the skills to thrive. The LA DEAL Regional Broadband Consortium is a collaborative, community-driven effort to assess and tackle the broadband gaps that exist in both urban and rural communities across the Los Angeles region.
UNITE-LA’s California Accessing Economic Mobility Initiative supports affinity chambers of commerce across the state in championing job quality, workforce advancement and economic mobility for low-wage workers. The initiative equips business organizations with practical tools, research and messaging strategies to help employers strengthen talent pipelines, improve workplace practices and contribute to a more resilient and inclusive California economy.
UNITE-LA recognizes and works towards eliminating racial, economic and social inequities embedded in our institutions that have resulted in severe education, wealth and opportunity gaps by addressing the underlying structural, challenges too many of our communities face. Through policy, advocacy and collaboration, UNITE-LA creates new, innovative solutions that allow us to ensure a bright future where children, students and adult workers of all incomes, races, genders and backgrounds will be able to thrive in this new, 21st-century economy. By serving as a trusted intermediary that unites non-traditional partners, including the business community, educational systems and elected officials, we advance crucial, long-term, “cradle-through-career” systems advancements for the region.
