"I know who I am, I know where I'm going and I know who can help me get there." That is the goal driving UNITE-LA’s latest effort to ensure more young people in Los Angeles County graduate high school with real momentum toward college, career and economic mobility. Through the California Purposeful Pathways Project, funded by the Gates Foundation, UNITE-LA and the California Community Foundation will support demonstration models in the Long Beach and South Bay subregions of the L.A. Region K–16 Collaborative—showing how high schools and community colleges can better integrate advising, dual enrollment and career-connected learning into coherent, equitable pathways for students.

UNITE-LA is advancing a coordinated state policy agenda and urging partners, employers and policymakers to support critical state legislation—AB 805 and SB 1132—to strengthen California's workforce system and expand economic mobility for opportunity youth. This work builds on momentum from the 2026 Youth Apprenticeship Summit in Sacramento, where leaders across education, workforce and policy aligned around implementation, marking a critical shift from planning to action. As the state moves to operationalize recommendations from the California Youth Apprenticeship Committee, UNITE-LA is helping ensure that policy, practice and lived experience are aligned to expand equitable, high-quality career pathways.

As part of the Horizons 32K strategic plan to improve outcomes for opportunity youth across Los Angeles County, UNITE‑LA is advancing efforts to strengthen the transition from high school into college, training and employment for students in Los Angeles' alternative education system. In February, alongside the Britebound Center for Career Navigation at Jobs for the Future (JFF) and LAUSD, UNITE‑LA convened K–12, community college and workforce leaders to improve career navigation for students completing high school in non-traditional settings. LAUSD's Options division serves more than 9,000 students across 60 sites, including continuation high schools, virtual academies and community day schools for expelled students.

LA DEAL advanced a coordinated policy and partnership strategy in the first quarter of 2026 to expand broadband access and strengthen digital equity across Los Angeles County. This work included engagement in state regulatory proceedings, federal funding discussions and direct collaboration with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to improve key broadband programs, ensuring underserved communities have access to reliable, high-speed internet.

As California continues building toward a fully integrated education-to-career system, UNITE-LA joined partners from the Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC) and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) at the Statewide K–16 Collaborative Peer Convening in San Diego on Jan. 29 and 30. The gathering brought together representatives from all 13 regional collaboratives to align on sustainability, funding strategies and measurable outcomes for California’s education-to-career system.

UNITE-LA convened more than 60 K-12 districts, higher education, workforce and employer partners in January for a Lunch & Learn spotlighting the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative's newly released health care workforce report, marking the largest community of practice session to date. The event highlighted key labor market insights and featured a panel of higher education and health care leaders who shared real-world perspectives on workforce demand, clinical placement challenges and the need for stronger alignment across education and training pathways.

This summer, the Project CAMINOS STEM Summer Academy at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) welcomed high school students from across Los Angeles for a week of hands-on STEM exploration. Now in its sixth year, Project CAMINOS has been supported by the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative since 2023. Both initiatives aim to expand college access, persistence and degree completion in computer science and engineering, particularly for women-identifying students, who make up roughly 20 percent of students enrolled in those programs.

In partnership with the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, UNITE-LA has taken the lead in advancing apprenticeship opportunities across Los Angeles County through our Apprenticeship Bootcamp Series. The series has brought together local organizations to strengthen their understanding of registered apprenticeship programs and begin developing actionable plans for implementation.

On Sept. 18, UNITE-LA convened education and workforce leaders from across the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative for an immersive visit to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) F.E. Weymouth Water Treatment Plant and Water Quality Lab in La Verne. The session brought together K-12, community college and university career technical education administrators with workforce development specialists, and featured a guided facilities tour, a briefing from MWD leaders and a skills-and-opportunities discussion highlighting how the computer science (CS) and engineering pathways power one of California’s most essential industries. Participants experienced a clearer view of in-demand technical and soft skills, potential internship and employment pathways and concrete ideas for connecting classroom learning to real-world applications across regional CS and Engineering pathways.

On Aug. 15, the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) partnered with the City of Palmdale to host its first-ever Digital Access Fair at South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES). The event served 300 low-income and underserved families and provided 145 families with free refurbished laptops through a collaboration with Homeboy Electronics Social Enterprise, alongside affordable internet offers through LA DEAL’s partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF). Families were connected with a range of digital literacy programs, IT support services and community resources designed to help students succeed during the school year.