CCP Program Overview

Over the last 10 years, The UC Theatre has grown into a premier nonprofit independent music venue that advances equitable economic opportunity within the live music and creative economy. We combine culturally diverse programming with industry-aligned workforce development, providing paid training and career pathways for young people from historically marginalized communities.

The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways workforce development program (CCP) is a comprehensive workforce development training program designed to remove barriers to entry and provide participants from marginalized communities with industry-relevant training, work-based learning experiences, and career placement support in the live music, creative economy, and nonprofit sectors. CCP is a nine-month, hands-on, work-based training program for young people ages 17 to 25, centered on experiential learning that cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and essential career skills needed to thrive in today’s job market.

Equity-Driven Workforce Access & Retention Strategies: Our workforce development program removes systemic employment barriers by offering paid internship training, a management training program, transportation stipends, mentorship, and holistic wraparound support tailored for marginalized populations, including youth of color, LGBTQ individuals, women, non-binary individuals, and those facing economic hardship from underserved households. Graduates of the CCP program are, on average, 48% women, 10% non-binary, 77% BIPOC, 35% LGBTQ+, 10% persons with disabilities, 25% white, and 54% living below the poverty line. Each year, at least 80% of graduates find employment in their career path within 3 to 6 months of completing the CCP program.

CCP is a regional Bay Area workforce development pipeline. Our program offers significant depth and flexibility to ensure participants successfully navigate their path toward sustainable employment. Although we are physically located in Berkeley, the majority of the young people and leaders shaped through our Concert Career Pathways (CCP) program live in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco.

From training to job placement, we collaborate with industry professionals who not only teach, train, and mentor participants in the hands-on, work-based, nuanced skills needed for a successful career, but also actively participate in our Professional Partner Network to drive job placement. In many cases, our program helps CCP graduates get a foot in the door in ways a college degree alone could not.

CCP is a flexible development pipeline. For example, participants who live in San Francisco attend workshops in Berkeley at The UC Theatre and are placed in paid internships at venues or businesses based on their geographic preference, career path, or post-graduation job placement opportunities, whether in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, or elsewhere.

Our Management Training Program, available to select CCP graduates, builds on our principles of experiential learning, strategic thinking, and professional networking. The program supports, mentors, and equips emerging Bay Area leaders who are poised for career-level compensation to reimagine the music industry, and beyond, through intergenerational and multicultural leadership, inclusion, and equity.

Today, 80% of our Leadership Team is BIPOC, and 64% are CCP graduates building long-term careers and gaining leadership experience in the live music ecosystem. Over the last decade, our cohorts have consistently drawn heavily from Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, and we’ve quietly built support systems like meal access and travel stipends to ensure participation isn’t limited by income.

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