By Rich Henrich
As each of the desert cities across the Coachella Valley exist in what some have called a “fiefdom-like fashion,” one valley organization quietly works to unify the region. The Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) is a regional economic development organization devoted to improving the economic vitality of the region through continued efforts in workforce development and strategic initiatives to attract, retain and expand businesses and opportunities in the valley. The goal is straight forward- raise the overall economy and quality of life for the region.
According to their website, CVEP will achieve this goal through a team of investors, community leaders, consultants and staff, CVEP markets, facilitates and provides economic opportunities for residents and businesses in the Coachella Valley. CVEP is led by a board of successful, high-profile business leaders from a cross-section of regional industries, civic leaders of the nine cities in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County, educators, and representatives from the Cahuilla Indian Tribes, who have become a major economic force. This dynamic organization explores regional issues and strategies related to the area’s economy, workforce training needs, and the relationship between business and education in the Coachella Valley. Essentially, there is a wide disparity of housing values, wages and income across the Valley and workers need some new skills to pay the bills.
In order to create a new Economic Blueprint for the Coachella Valley, a national economic development consulting firm, Market Street Services was retained to facilitate the months-long process. The end result provided an actionable, forward-thinking strategy to become an attractive place for high-value jobs being created in the new economy. One such area that was identified was the “Creative Sector.” CVEP’s initiative for Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) is a key pillar in growing jobs for a new economy. I recently interviewed, Jacqui Tricco, the Industry Council Coordinator and chair of AME, to better understand how they will bring creative jobs to the Valley.
“For us to grow a workforce, it takes partners, like AMFM Fest: art. music. film. more and the Digital Arts Technology Academy (DATA) at Cathedral City High School. We can’t do it ourselves, it requires strong community involvement,” Tricco says of the initiative. Last year, was the first year to launch a mentor program for juniors in the DATA cohort. It proved to be a promising way to have immediate impact on students and was also rewarding for the mentors who participated in the program. In a post-program survey, students expressed surprise in discovering people in the community they did not know actually cared about them.
“This program is unique. Palm Springs High School has a learning coordinator who brings in business partners to school. As you can imagine, schools are restrained by funding and capacity for staff so, the need for community support is great. It takes a lot of time to recruit the right businesses and partners and to plan. Most schools don’t have the resources. We’d really love to expand a speaker series, too,” says Tricco with an eye toward the future.
Education is a key building block to creating future jobs in the creative sector. As CVEP and a growing number of partners continue to collaborate across the Valley, more connections are being made and more opportunities are opening up for internships and jobs. AMFM Fest had two interns from the DATA program this summer who worked on editing commercials spots and they provided valuable input for the Festival’s focus on generating a scholarship program for the arts for Coachella Valley students interested in pursuing an education in art, media and entertainment. “We are thrilled to partner with AME on this scholarship program! It’s an incredible opportunity for us to help build the future of the creative industry in the Coachella Valley,” expresses AMFM Festival Director, Stephanie Bell.
Internships and mentorships are critical in establishing a community of support and growth, particularly in the arts, which are not easily defined in terms of career choices. Americans for the Arts identified six creative industries: museums/ collections; performing arts; visual/ photography; film, radio, and TV; design/ publishing; and schools/ services. It’s broad in part because creativity permeates every sector of business and cultural life. “A lot of people, especially parents don’t realize how many different jobs are available in the creative industries. There are a lot of ways for people to have successful careers that aren’t just high profile positions in the arts. And that is what we are encouraging students to explore through AMFM Fest and through our programs throughout the year,” encourages Bell.
“We’ve focused on identifying key sectors to develop a pipeline to help (the students) grow into successful adults with high-paying jobs in the Creative Cluster,” Jacqui Tricco states with conviction. The foundation continues to be laid with educating the next generation of creative professionals. The mentor program at DATA pairs a business or a professional with experience in art, media and entertainment with 2-3 juniors studying in the Academy once per month at Cathedral City High School for about an hour. These sessions are equipped with a guide that will focus on a variety of topics to help the student prepare for success in building a career. The topics cover resume building, interview skills, goal setting, time management and relationship building. Any interest in the mentor program or questions can be directed to Debbie Applebaum at dapplebaum@psusd.us or (760) 770-0124.
“It’s never we (CVEP) did it. None of this can happen without great partners- local businesses and education partners. Without this kind of community involvement, it’s very difficult to grow an educated work force. We all need to share the same vision!” Jacqui Tricco inspires us all to participate in growing our community and building a future work force that will not only attract creative businesses to the Valley but will also provide a pathway for creative entrepreneurs to develop and flourish in the near future.
