Dublab Radio Apprenticeship Program for High Schoolers

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Dublab’s Radio Apprenticeship Program seeks to address the lack of free opportunities for high school-aged students to gain access to tech and creative industry education and training, specifically within the music and audio industries. Our program seeks to address this by offering paid opportunities for youth to gain experience working within our internet radio studio, at live music and performance events, and through special projects. The program is geared towards youth from historically marginalized backgrounds–BIPOC, queer, trans, low income, system-impacted, disabled, and exclusively for those living or going to school within a 10 mile radius of Dublab’s University Park location. This prioritization, and this being a paid opportunity–supporting youth economic advancement–reinforces our efforts to address inequality within the field, with the goal of diversifying and strengthening the radio and audio industries within Southern California over time.

We are requesting support through LA 2050 for the next evolution of Dublab Radio’s Apprenticeship Program. With support, we will be able to launch expanded services, creating (8) paid apprenticeships for high school students in our local area, offering a direct service within our local communities and lowering the age range we’re able to serve, supporting the infrastructure that will allow us to have High School-aged students in the studio. Each of the eight students will have a recurring day they apprentice at Dublab throughout the school year, for example a student might work there every Tuesday. Their schedule will allow for two hours each week, after school from 4-6pm, with the overarching schedule following their academic calendar. This will be a paid opportunity to lower any barriers to entry, as many of the students we intend to serve work to help support themselves and their families. Throughout the program, which will be administered by experienced youth education programmer Sol Alvarez, the students they will gain hands on experience and knowledge with radio broadcast, media archiving, content creation and curation (audio, video, copy, graphics), studio maintenance, how to DJ and operate the necessary equipment, sound equipment setup and breakdown for live events, and the necessary admin that support this type of work. The ultimate goal is to provide the resources, knowledge, and network to start building a career in the music and/or audio industries.

If Dublab's apprenticeship program is successful, Los Angeles County will witness a thriving creative industry that embraces and amplifies the diverse voices and talents within its communities. The program will provide vital opportunities for young people to enter these industries, secure sustainable careers, and navigate the challenges of a competitive field with early access to experience, a dedicated network of professionals, and resources. As these apprentices graduate from the program, they will be equipped to pursue successful careers in radio, music, internet radio, and podcasting in Los Angeles County. This will lead to a more inclusive and representative audio industry, where the talents and perspectives of individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds are recognized and celebrated.
The ripple effect of mentorship, diverse networks, and expanded opportunities will resonate throughout the community, reaching a broader audience and inspiring future generations.

Some markers of success will be: having robust partnerships with local community organizations and high schools that support outreach around the program; the number, quality, and diversity of applicants we receive; participation and attendance metrics; the students experiences at Dublab Radio; as well as the number of students we are able to graduate from the program and their readiness to move into the audio workforce. Internally, we will be gauging success by our ability to onboard a new staff position geared towards supporting this program, and our other youth-focussed partnerships and programs. In addition we will survey the staff, Djs, and others involved with the operations of Dublab about how the program impacts and serves the overall mission of the organization, as well as their roles there. This is an evolution of an existing program, which has graduated a few apprentices into jobs at Dublab and elsewhere.