On Jan. 29–30, members of Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC) and Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) joined UNITE-LA in San Diego to meet with representatives from all 13 regional K-16 collaboratives for the Statewide Peer Convening. Participants focused on sustainability, funding alignment and measurable outcomes in California’s education-to-career system. Participants collaborated with leaders from K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, workforce boards, CA GO-Biz and the California Workforce Development Board to review progress, address structural barriers and plan next steps as regions transition from pilot programs to permanent shared infrastructure.

The group addressed strategies to retain staff after one-time grants expire, improve coordination, align K-16 initiatives with California Jobs First and Strong Workforce investments and establish clearer statewide metrics for tracking credentials, pathway participation and job outcomes. The L.A. region shared insights from collaborating with 80 school districts, 27 public higher education institutions and seven workforce boards. The meeting underscored the need for sustained funding for regional infrastructure and stronger statewide efforts on shared metrics, coordinated advocacy and long-term sustainability beyond the current grant cycle.