Last month, participants in the California Accessing Economic Mobility (CAEM) Fellowship gathered for their second learning session, exploring practical strategies to expand opportunity for low-wage workers across California.

The session featured leaders from Opportunity@Work, the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), who shared insights on three approaches with significant potential to improve economic mobility: expanding access to child care, supporting immigration stability and adopting skills-based workforce practices. Together, the discussions reinforced a central theme: many of the barriers facing skilled, entry-level workers are solvable, and employers have an important role to play in advancing solutions.

The fellowship continues to generate strong engagement from participants. One fellow shared:

"I want to express my sincere appreciation to the UNITE-LA team for a powerful session. It made it abundantly clear just how essential this fellowship is. I'm grateful and energized to be part of this collective work—closing gaps, deepening collaboration and building stronger support systems for our communities."

The California Accessing Economic Mobility Fellowship will continue throughout the summer, bringing together business and community leaders to explore strategies that strengthen workforce opportunities and economic mobility. The program will culminate with fellow presentations in August.