On April 1, California Competes co-sponsored a virtual briefing, Cradle to Career Webinar: Education-to-Employment for CA's Industry, which brought together leading industry experts to discuss why employers should be invested in the development stages of California's new statewide longitudinal data system. UNITE-LA's President and CEO, David Rattray, was a panelist and joined by Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez, executive director, California Competes; Zima Creason, executive director, California Edge Coalition; Bianca Blomquist, senior California Policy & Engagement manager / Northern California outreach manager, California Small Business Majority; John Brauer, executive director for Workforce and Economic Development, California Labor Federation; and Kathy Booth, project director, Educational Data and Policy, WestEd.

The group addressed exactly what the cradle-to-career data system is and provided updates on the Cradle to Career Planning Team's work. A deeper conversation as to how the California Cradle-to-Career Data System will benefit employers and workers was also held as part of the briefing. You can watch this webinar on YouTube.