Bridging LA’s Workforce Opportunity Divide

Access to tech and creative industry employment

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Year Up United launched its Los Angeles (LA) programming in 2016 to address the Opportunity Divide—the gap between young adults striving for economic mobility and the quality jobs that can provide it. This divide disproportionately affects young people of color, who face higher rates of disconnection and fewer opportunities for upward mobility.
The Divide stems from a legacy of systemic barriers, including discriminatory policies, unequal access to education, and exclusionary hiring practices that have kept many young adults disconnected from the economic mainstream. It is further exacerbated by degree inflation, where employers require four-year degrees for roles that do not actually demand them.
Although LA is home to a booming innovation economy, many young Angelenos are locked out of the very industries shaping the city’s future. Bridging this divide is not only a moral imperative—it is an economic necessity, essential to reducing inequality and fostering long-term regional growth.

Year Up United (YUU) in Los Angeles is advancing an ambitious workforce development initiative to close the Opportunity Divide by connecting underestimated young adults—particularly those from Black, Latinx, and other historically excluded communities—to living-wage careers in LA’s tech, business, and creative industries. This project will support our Career Pathways programming, which equips 18–29-year-olds with digital literacy, business communications, technical skills, mentorship, and financial education—while also offering robust wraparound services such as access to health care navigation, a professional clothing closet, and dedicated support staff.
Our training pathways (Business, Customer Experience, Software, and Information Technology) combine hands-on learning with career readiness coaching and internships at leading companies, all designed to meet real employer demand. These experiences not only prepare young adults to earn family-sustaining wages but reshape hiring pipelines by proving the value of skills-first hiring.
In this grant period, YUU aims to serve approximately 80 young adults in Los Angeles, supporting them to become lifelong learners, creators, and earners in high-growth fields. By centering our students’ lived experiences and removing systemic barriers through personalized support and powerful employer partnerships, YUU is building a scalable model with the potential to transform LA’s workforce landscape and expand economic mobility.

If successful, this project will connect 80 low-income young adults in Los Angeles to living-wage careers in our Career Pathways —fields that drive LA’s economy yet remain out of reach for too many. In this grant period, participants will gain industry skills, career readiness training, paid internships, and wraparound support. In the long term, we are testing new programming that can complement our existing Pathways in LA. For example, Career Connect, which partners with community colleges to offer workforce and career readiness training to students nearing graduation, and Career Labs, our modular, 40-hour essential skills curriculum that can be delivered to learners of various ages. Our vision is a more inclusive LA workforce where young adults, regardless of background, are valued for their skills. By shifting hiring practices and closing access gaps, this initiative has the power to transform lives—and reshape LA County into a hub of equitable opportunity.