CREATEArts2Work LA
The Alliance seeks funding to pilot Arts2Work LA, a new creative workforce program for those most often marginalized from opportunity. It includes the very first federally-registered Apprenticeship Program in Media Arts, Mentorship + Equity/Inclusion training for employers, and access to new subsidies and grants available only through Registered Apprenticeship. We intend to pilot the Arts2Work LA program with 12 creative, low-income young people, showcasing this revolutionary blueprint and new model of reform for the digital generation.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Pilot project or new program
Please list the organizations collaborating on this proposal.
Venice Arts
Better Youth
If you are submitting a collaborative proposal, please describe the specific role of partner organizations in the project.
Better Youth is a creative youth development agency in LA. Since 2008, they have served over 12,000 young people through classes, workshops, film festivals, mentorship and career training. Better Youth is an Arts2Work-affiliated training center and employer, and will be a pipeline for eligible participants, mentors and training.
Venice Arts is an Arts2Work-certified training center and employer, offering a suite of programming designed to develop the next generation of Los Angeles storytellers and visual media artists. They will provide the core creative technology and workforce training environment for this Arts2Work program.
What is the need you’re responding to?
Arts2Work is a jobs program for storytellers; we are building a world where #oscarssowhite is a thing of the past, and the power of the #metoo movement has led to a new generation of women leaders in media. There is no reason that construction workers get paid real wages and benefits while they learn on the job, and creative work in the media industry is based on internships designed for those who can afford to work for free. Digital content producers and editors are in high demand while companies and institutions are making new commitments to diversity in front of and behind the camera -- with little experience in actually achieving a diverse, inclusive workforce. There is growing awareness of the dearth of young producers and editors of color in Hollywood, as well as other marginalized groups across the industry. The need for mentored training for low-income creative workers as well as support for employers in this critical reshaping of the industry has never been greater.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
The Alliance has been a leading media industry member organization for 40 years. Since its founding in California, The Alliance has worked to raise the profile and influence of the media arts field on behalf of independent producers, community media organizations, universities, and creative institutions. Arts2Work is mission-critical for The Alliance; it is one of the core new ways we are providing access to innovation, collaboration and cultural impact. We are uniquely suited to deliver this program because we built it from an idea, we hold relationships across the industry that can serve Los Angeles, and we believe in its potential to be a new model of systemic change. Our partners in LA are ready – from West LA College to Better Youth to Venice Arts and Ghetto Film School, our certified training centers are ready and working. Coronavirus has decimated our industry, and Arts2Work can help build us back with federal workforce investments and incentives for industry partners.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 525
Indirect Impact: 3,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
Arts2Work is a systems-change initiative. More than a jobs program for under-represented, above-the-line creative workers, Arts2Work is designed to empower innovation and equity in business, creative entrepreneurship & community resilience. Through Arts2Work, Los Angeles media employers are now eligible for federal and state workforce and Registered Apprenticeship funding and incentives that have never before been available to them to build their businesses and invest in their communities. Arts2Work Alumni become part of a network that includes lifelong learning, grants for creative projects, mentorship, and entrepreneurship training. Beyond the grant period, Arts2Work can support LA with a sustainable, inclusive model of creative change.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Our vision for success for Arts2Work LA includes building a strong foundation for a bold new ecosystem where low-income youth, black and brown artists, women, LGBTQ & disabled communities have equal access to sustainable, living wage careers in the media industry.
The key indicators of success of Arts2Work LA will be revealed in creative/technical skills development, certification and living wage job placement for Apprentices, and response to Equity/Inclusion + Mentorship training for Employers. We will be measuring participation and assessing the outcomes
both during and beyond the grant period -- because impact takes time to measure. We will work with local partners to track quantitative measurements reflecting a changing creative culture. A sample of these metrics include:
* Number of Apprentices & Employers engaged
* Number of New Apprentice applications
* Number of Apprentices Adobe-certified
* Number of Apprentices staying out of prison
* Number of Apprentices growing their bank accounts
* Number of Apprentices going to college
* Number of Apprentices starting creative businesses
* Number of Employers promoting Registered Apprentices
* Number of Employers providing on-the-job Training
* Number of Employers embedding Apprenticeship into annual reporting and profit models
The biggest impact we can have is to create the conditions in Los Angeles where those most often excluded have new and lasting access to living wage creative careers.
Which of the CREATE metrics will your submission impact?
Employment in the creative industries
Income inequality
Minority- and women-owned businesses
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to LEARN
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Host public events or gatherings
Strategy assistance and implementation