In 2025, UNITE‑LA published two reports with the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative—Centering Youth, Strengthening Systems and Uncovering the Full Cost of L.A. Youth Workforce Development Programs—to inform how workforce systems can better serve opportunity youth and improve long‑term outcomes.

The reports elevate youth and provider voices to highlight what effective workforce systems require, including warm handoffs between programs, clear communication during transitions, strong relationships with City and County agencies, stable staffing, flexible public funding and streamlined reporting. Findings and recommendations were presented three times to City and County leaders and providers and were spotlighted at the California Workforce Association WORKCON, reaching workforce leaders statewide. The reports catalyzed one‑on‑one coaching for work experience providers to integrate recommendations into practice, support that will continue in partnership with County workforce providers in 2026 to deepen implementation, strengthen program quality and advance a more equitable and responsive regional workforce system.

For more information, please reach out to Carrie Lemmon, Senior Vice President, Systems Change Strategy at UNITE-LA, at [email protected].