Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531981
36 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Spring 2025 2024 was an extremely busy year for Local 695's Education & Training Department. Class was in session sixty times, which was a 300% increase to prior years. Four hundred and forty-nine members broadened their skill sets and most excitingly, we celebrated a first in Local 695's history: being awarded a training grant with the state! Education & Funding: Navigating the State-Funded by Casey Weiss This grant did not come to fruition quickly. The incredibly arduous process began in May 2022, in development with the BRIC Foundation. This organization specializes in training within the entertainment industry and was pioneering a state- funded grant not yet to be available for the world of filmmaking. "Break, Reinvent, Impact, and Change," or BRIC, coordinates with government agencies, education partners, and industry organizations to create inclusive opportunities for those who are traditionally underrepresented, and incumbent workers seeking career advancement. During their pursuit for the first grant of its kind, BRIC identified both IATSE unions and entertainment workforce affiliates to provide skills training and/ or on-the-job training within the industry. This grant was novel, as California has historically only funded formal apprenticeships like you would see with welding or public electricians. This is a drawn-out model that is not typically conducive for the state's third-largest economic contributor. Developing a brand-new program to support the initiative was necessary, and with Local 695's Y-16A Training Program already nationally recognized, implementing a new curriculum that could deem us eligible to participate was right up our alley. The grant process was no easy feat. There was ample red tape as officials came to better understand our gig lifestyle. The process required numerous iterations of proposals, budgets, and ever-evolving qualifications. We were all learning about this new blended world together, with the commitment to making this a success for the participants apparent on both sides. We submitted our finalized Scope of Work, then waited. And waited. A year later, in August 2023, BRIC announced the approval of this grant, partnering with the California Workforce Development Board to launch the Arts, Media, and