A new jobs program from Mayor Eric Garcetti is connecting young Angelenos with the training and skills they need to find opportunities in Los Angeles’ booming tech economy, according to the mayor’s office.

The L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline – a partnership between Garcetti and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s Bixel Exchange – is a component of the HIRE LA’s Youth program, and brings together public and private sector partners to expand training and job opportunities for the next generation of talent. Beginning this summer, the pipeline will place at least 100 young Angelenos in tech jobs.

Mayor Garcetti kicked off a program designed to bolster the city’s tech economy.
(photo courtesy of the mayor’s office)

“The global economy moves quickly, and we need to make sure that young Angelenos have the skills and networks they need to land good jobs. HIRE LA’s Youth is a springboard for career success, and the L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline will open even more doors to our city’s growing tech sector,” Garcetti said. “I’m grateful to the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce’s Bixel Exchange for their partnership, and to all of the companies helping to build the next generation of leaders.”

Garcetti has already tripled the number of jobs coordinated by City Hall since taking office, and has set a new goal to hire 20,000 young people for year round employment by 2020, according to the mayor’s office. HIRE LA’s Youth is a key component of the Youth Workforce Development System in the City and County of Los Angeles, and a signature element of Garcetti’s agenda to strengthen L.A.’s economy. The program provides career exploration opportunities to low-income youth – specific opportunities are targeted to foster youth, young people from families receiving CalWORKs, as well as youth on probation, youth receiving General Relief, and homeless youth.

June 13 marked the start of the HIRE LA’s Youth 2017 summer campaign, with workshops on résumé-building and networking skills hosted by LinkedIn and Data 360 at General Assembly in Downtown Los Angeles.

“In Los Angeles County, we know that our youth hold the hope for our future and their opportunity is the measure of our success,” said County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.

“Mayor Garcetti and our partners in the technology industry should be commended for creating the L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline, which provides a pathway for employment for at-risk youth in a growing sector of our economy, but also begins a comprehensive examination of how government, the private sector, and schools can work collaboratively to prepare our next generation for the workforce.”

Garcetti also held the inaugural meeting of his Tech Council’s Special Committee on Tech Talent & Training, a group of industry leaders, educators, and partners tasked with developing strategies to prepare the local workforce to meet the demands of tech jobs across various sectors. At the roundtable discussion, members discussed the preliminary findings of a data-sharing partnership with LinkedIn, the Bixel Exchange, and the mayor’s office to identify tech hiring trends and needs in Los Angeles.

“LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for every worker across the globe. We are excited to help the Los Angeles Tech Talent Pipeline grow the local tech economy by sharing our unique insights into the tech skills employers need most, the workforce’s skills, and the gap between the two. This includes information into the in-demand tech skills across industries, and the ways in which curricula may be aligned across educational partners to train talent for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Pablo Chavez, LinkedIn VP of Global Public Policy and Government Affairs.

Garcetti has worked to create educational opportunities to set young people up for success. The LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program provides students with interactive after-school and summer S.T.E.M. programming in robotics, coding, digital citizenship, and science. This summer, Garcetti expanded the LA’s BEST summer program to serve more than 1,000 additional students, according to the mayor’s office.

The Los Angeles College Promise guarantees admission and a tuition-free year at local community colleges for graduates of Los Angeles Unified School District and the city’s charter high schools.