Despite the enormous wealth in the SF Bay Area, transitional age youth, particularly low-income youth of color, struggle to access educational opportunities that lead to living-wage jobs. Even today, women and people of color are underrepresented in both the tech sector and the arts. The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways (CCP) program is a nine-month career training initiative that seeks to remove the barriers of entry into the music business for marginalized youth, ages 17-25 – including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ youth, people with disabilities, and low-income youth – by offering them an opportunity to develop and hone skills for a career in the field.
Integral to The UC Theatre’s mission, CCP is a hands-on, experiential work-based training program which consists of a combination of free workshops, guest lectures, industry tours, paid internships, and job placement upon completion. CCP fosters the understanding of work as an integral and satisfying aspect of life; helps develop the critical and creative thinking skills necessary to become successful in the 21st-century workplace; and connects youth passionate about the music business to a lucrative field in which there are current job opportunities and career ladders.
The CCP program occurs annually, August - May. The first two weeks begin with six four-hour introductory workshops in various aspects of concert promotion: Marketing, Front-of-House Operations, Production, Development, and General Management. Upon completion of the workshops, participants rotate amongst key departments in “shadow shifts,” working alongside professional staff during live concerts and in the office to learn more about each position. Participants complete a minimum of 56 shadow shift hours (September-October).
Upon successful completion of shadow shifts, participants advance into paid internships in two departments based on interests/skills. Departments that interns can specialize in include Advertising and Marketing, Fundraising/Community Development, Talent Buying, Education Program Development, Special Events Management, Graphic Design, Video Promotional/Marketing Production, Venue and Event Business Management, among others. Criteria for advancement includes punctuality, preparedness, initiative, problem-solving, and communication skills. While the number of shifts/hours per week varies depending on the season, interns earn $16.50/hour for at least 400 hours (October-May), gaining experience working at live shows, in the office alongside department heads, and conducting promotions in the community. Throughout the year, participants attend advanced workshops and guest lectures in topics like Live Audio, Lighting Design, Grassroots Fundraising, Talent Buying, and Resume Building, often led by external industry professionals.
Towards the end of the program, participants work on job applications with staff to secure entry-level positions at the theatre and other premier concert/arts venues through our Professional Partner Network. We have relationships with many industry partners including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, and East Bay Center for Performing Arts. On average, 80% of CCP graduates achieve relevant employment within three months of completing the program. Youth who have completed CCP can also continue in our Management and Mentorship Programs which provide additional resources and training to further their personal aspirations and trade skill sets.
Each year, we work with approximately 20 interns and 10 mentees. Participants come from diverse backgrounds: on average, 50% are young women, 70% are people of color, and over half are from low-income households. The 2021/22 Cohort consisted of 39% women, 19% non-binary, 77% people of color (9% Black/African American, 24% Asian, 44% Latinx); 42% were LGBTQ+, 4% were individuals with disabilities, and 42% came from low-income households. Participants commute from across the Bay Area, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
As we head into a struggling economic climate, it is crucial that we provide marginalized, low-income youth in our community with educational support, resources, and career connections. No other music venue in the nation focuses on educating youth, building skills, providing diverse mentors, and paving a career pipeline in business, production, and promotion as an arts venue. By connecting Bay Area youth to a field in which there are current job opportunities and career ladders, while providing them with the skills and training they need to get good-paying jobs within that field, our goal is to remove barriers for local youth and help them increase their economic mobility, realize their aspirations, and achieve fulfilling lives, while advancing intergenerational and multicultural leadership, inclusion, and equity.
On average, it costs The UC Theatre $12,500 to fund one intern through the nine months of our CCP program. We are seeking public support to help us provide scholarships for four (4) Bay Area youth to participate in this unique educational, workforce development program.
