Connect, Collaborate, Create: Tech for the Public Learning Symposium

Access to tech and creative industry employment

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

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Recent federal workforce cuts have decimated technical talent in public institutions, with nearly 50,000 federal workers terminated in LA County alone. This crisis extends beyond individual job losses—it's destabilizing entire communities. The cuts have created systemic trauma among public workers while eroding critical public infrastructure that communities depend on.
The impact is compounded by existing barriers to government tech careers. Early-career tech professionals, especially women, BIPOC individuals, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ Angelenos, often lack awareness of public career pathways. With increased competition for remaining roles and widespread demoralization, there's an urgent need for community-building and learning networks to rebuild trust, retain talent, and create access to tech and creative industry employment for diverse and underrepresented technologists committed to improving public services.

We propose hosting "Tech For the Public: Los Angeles," a two-day learning symposium connecting civic technologists, public sector leaders, and underrepresented professionals to strengthen LA's public interest technology ecosystem.
This intimate gathering of 200 people will feature:
Inspirational keynotes from local leaders in government, technology, and civic engagement
Facilitated discussions on career pathways
Extensive networking focused on government tech opportunities
Hands-on workshops teaching practical skills
Small group problem-solving sessions
Peer feedback exchanges
“Where else can you hear from fellow civic techies and get a balance between pragmatic, real-world experience navigating government work, and aspirational and inspirational reflections on why this work is worth doing?”
What makes this unique: Unlike large conferences, we create meaningful connections through small group engagement and collaborative experiences. We've successfully run this model in Portland and St. Paul, proving its effectiveness as a catalytic community-building tool alongside active learning sessions. Review a sample agenda from previous work.
The symposium will showcase diverse government technology roles, demonstrate career mobility pathways, and establish lasting professional networks. Participants will leave with actionable skills, expanded networks, and renewed confidence in public service careers—exactly what's needed to restore LA's public sector technology talent pipeline.

Within the grant period LA will have a thriving public interest technology community with locally-led gatherings, connecting technologists to career and learning opportunities. Attendees will find roles in social impact companies, with measurable increases in job placement rates and professional confidence.
This symposium will catalyze locally-led events, which we’ve seen proven in Portland where local participants organized a follow up summit within six months using our practices, tools, and springboard network.
Longer term, this work will ignite a larger, local community of public interest technologists to create sustainable career pathways into tech-related public service, while supporting the efficient and effective delivery of tech projects within LA County’s $800M IT budget.
Success means LA becomes a national model where public interest technology careers are visible, accessible, and celebrated—transforming how Angelenos think about meaningful work.