ASUCLA shares workforce insight at LARC CEO Board Retreat

 From left: Los Angeles County Human Resources Assistant Director for Recruitment Rodney Collins; Associated Students UCLA Executive Director and CEO Pouria Abbassi; Microsoft Director of Education and Academic Medical Centers in California Ranie Lambe; and LAC and USC Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Nancy Blake (Photo by Jesse Torres)

ASUCLA Executive Director and CEO Pouria Abbassi attended the LARC panel discussion on Aug. 24 to share how ASUCLA utilizes its position as the largest UCLA student employer on campus to address and improve upon workforce development in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 29, 2022 – Invited to share its best practices and expertise on Aug. 24, Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) was represented with other Los-Angeles-based operations on an interactive panel focused on strengthening employer partnerships at the Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC) CEO Council Retreat. 

ASUCLA Executive Director and CEO Pouria Abbassi spoke on behalf of the Association at last Wednesday’s consortium assembly alongside his fellow panelists LAC and USC Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Nancy Blake; Los Angeles County Human Resources Assistant Director for Recruitment Rodney Collins; and Microsoft Director of Education and Academic Medical Centers in California Ranie Lambe.

Moderated by Stephen Cheung, the president of the World Trade Center in Los Angeles and the chief operating officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the panel questions reflected on how the select organizations were navigating through present-day challenges whilst implementing innovative practices to address workforce development, and  how each thought their respective industry would change in the next five years.  

Specific to ASUCLA, Cheung posed the question of how the Association helps provides skill development and other work-based learning for students as ASUCLA has an impactful influence on its student employee career pathways in its role as the largest UCLA student employer on campus. 

“ASUCLA realizes that the employment and job terrain is in rapid flux and that soft-skills training and the promise of multi-layer job opportunities that allow students to grow from entry level positions to supervisor and management positions while in school is key to their professional growth and journey,” Abbassi said.

It was shared that ASUCLA was no stranger to recruitment challenges posed by multigenerational pools, prompting the Association to rethink its methods to attract and retain talent. Taking a look to the future of success, Abbassi noted continued sustainability advancements and the further migration to virtual and hybrid models of operations to provide convenient, immediate access to services and products would prove essential to operations.

Closing out the panel discussion with much to contemplate, each executive was asked to reflect on ways to improve workforce collaboration between community colleges and employers in Los Angeles County, and steps needed to move toward a more inclusive, diverse and equitable future for the next generation of Angeleno workers.

“Community colleges are the bedrock of creating advancement opportunities for our youth in California,” Abbassi said. “ASUCLA looks forward to creating internship channels within the multi-faceted industries it operates in. We strongly believe that exposing the oncoming workforce to real life job experience is critical.”

The LARC is made up of 19 community colleges spread across Los Angeles County, and focuses on coordinating consortium member collaborations to ensure workforce training is accessible and shared between all. More information about LARC can be found through its website here.

About ASUCLA:

Founded in 1919, Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) is a nonprofit association that drives vitally essential student services and activities throughout the UCLA campus. ASUCLA boasts the largest college store in the U.S., an extensive food program, UCLA® brand licensing programming through UCLA Trademarks & Licensing, and other services and programs that include student government and student media, which significantly enhances the quality of UCLA’s campus life. For more information and to stay connected, follow @asucla on Instagram or visit asucla.ucla.edu.