Jobs for the Future (JFF)

On June 30, the U.S. Department of Education halted all WIOA Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funding—$715 million that states were expecting on July 1 to support adult learners in the 2025–26 program year. 📢 Jobs for the Future is urging partners and advocates to contact your representatives in Congress and tell them to call on the administration to unfreeze these critical funds: https://hubs.la/Q03x4g0r0 Federal funding for adult education is vital for America’s economic competitiveness and expanding economic opportunity across the nation. This effort is aligned with JFF’s No Dead Ends federal policy agenda—championing greater access to high-quality career pathways and skills-based learning experiences for all. Act now to safeguard critical programs for adult learners and an essential talent pipeline for employers: https://hubs.la/Q03x4g0r0 #AdultEducation #SkillsFirst #EconomicMobility #NoDeadEnds #WIOA

How can AI fuel leadership, innovation, and opportunity? Stefan Y. is showing the way. A tech veteran based in North Carolina, Stefan founded an online AI learning community that quickly grew to more than 1,000 members. He engages with global AI leaders, including the Future of Humanity Institute, to help shape more ethical and representative AI development. He also brings AI literacy to faith communities and multigenerational spaces, helping others discover how this technology can spark entrepreneurship and economic mobility. Stefan believes Black leadership must be at the forefront of AI development to ensure this technology creates real opportunity for everyone. Explore Stefan’s story and meet more Black learners and workers who are helping shape the future of AI. 👉 https://hubs.ly/Q03s4lQB0 To learn more, read our full report on AI for Black Learners and Workers. 👉 https://hubs.ly/Q03s4lsj0 #EconomicAdvancement #CareerMobility #EthicalAI #FutureOfWork #SocialCapital #FutureReadyEducation #BlackCommunityAndAI

AI holds massive potential for economic advancement—but only if we design systems that ensure access for all. Join JFF’s conversation on Weds, July 30 on how pathways leaders can meet this moment and create AI-ready education and workforce systems that don’t just react to change—but shape it. We’ll dive into what AI’s rapid growth means for the future of work, what learners will need to thrive, and how we ensure pathways systems are preparing young people for meaningful careers as the landscape evolves. Follow the link to register >> https://hubs.la/Q03xz6db0 #FutureofWork #TransformWorkandLearning #PathwaystoProsperity

Will didn’t take the traditional route and that’s exactly the point. Tinkering with speakers and rewiring his truck with his dad led him to a passion for electrical work. Through the Battery Academy at Chenango Forks High School and a co-op with MATCO Electric , he’s turning that passion into a career. Will participates in the New Energy Lab, powered by Broome-Tioga BOCES and the University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc. The program is supported by Chenango Forks High School , New Energy New York and JFF’s Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge. 🔌 Watch his full story and see what his career navigation looks like. 🎥 https://hubs.la/Q03xjx6m0 #SkilledTrades #CareerNavigation #JobQuality #Electrician #GreenJobs #FutureOfWork #JFF #YouthVoice #WorkBasedLearning

Gen Z isn’t waiting for the future, they’re redefining it. At #JFFHorizons, LinkedIn Social Impact teamed up with Raina Maiga to hear directly from young attendees about the realities of entering today’s workforce. At JFF, the ASA Center for Career Navigation is focused on making sure young people have the tools, support, and guidance they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world of work. Curious how we’re helping systems better serve the next generation? Explore the ASA Center for Career Navigation to learn more. https://hubs.la/Q03x7pyR0

Join JFF on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET, as we debut our updated Work-Based Learning Framework—accelerating impact and expanding access to meaningful work-based learning experiences across industries and across the country. Secure your spot today>> https://hubs.la/Q03x4rST0 Building on our framework adopted in 2017, the new, evolved framework is both a road map and an actionable tool for educators, employers, workforce professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders who want to design, implement, scale, and continually improve work-based learning experiences. Be among the first to explore JFF’s newly evolved Work-Based Learning Framework. Register today for our online event on July 23: https://hubs.la/Q03x4rST0

“Gen Z is listening and they’re asking for direction.” In her new TIME op-ed, JFF President & CEO Maria Flynn offers advice to young people and their parents on how to navigate the increasing number of education and career options after high school.  Findings from a new JFF and Gallup survey show that while 90% of Gen Z students trust their parents for post-high school guidance, many parents feel unprepared especially when it comes to options outside the traditional college track. Maria makes the case that career navigation shouldn’t fall solely on students or their families. It’s a shared responsibility and an opportunity for educators, employers, and policymakers to step up. And helping Gen Z navigate what comes after high school is the vision behind our new ASA Center for Career Navigation. Read the full op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/eWP-A2va #CareerNavigation #GenZ #FutureOfWork #EducationPathways

📣 JFF is excited to announce a new partnership with Lumina Foundation as part of their FutureReady States initiative—ensuring short-term credentials lead to long-term economic mobility for learners and workers. Through this partnership, we’ll work directly with Colorado and Alabama to: ✅ Assess current investments in credentials ✅ Set bold goals for program quality and learner outcomes ✅ Position both states as national models for aligning short-term credentials with economic mobility and workforce competitiveness As JFF CEO Maria Flynn puts it: "From the profound impact AI will have on the workforce to a constantly shifting labor market, high-quality credential programs are essential to ensuring learners and workers have the most current, in-demand skills.” We're proud to be one of five national partners supporting this important initiative—alongside Business-Higher Education Forum, Education Strategy Group, National Skills Coalition, and The Century Foundation. 📖 Learn more about the initiative here: https://hubs.la/Q03wScQv0 #EconomicMobility #Credentials #SkillsFirst

What does it mean to prepare people for a future where AI isn’t just a tool—but a part of how we relate, learn, and work? JFF's Alex Swartsel reflects on a takeaway that stuck with her from JFF Horizons: how young people are viewing their relationships with people and with AI. It’s a powerful reminder: As AI reshapes how we work and connect, we need to rethink how we’re developing durable skills, and what it means to show up as human in the workplace of the future. 🔗 Watch the full conversation in our latest newsletter: https://hubs.la/Q03wxFtv0 | #GenZ #DurableSkills #HumanCenteredAI

Calling all pathways thinkers, leaders, and doers! Do you have strategies, research, or bold ideas to share that are pushing boundaries to build pathways with no dead ends? We’re now accepting proposals for breakout sessions at the Fall 2025 Pathways to Prosperity (PtoP) National Institute, happening October 28–29 in Phoenix, AZ. We’re especially interested in topics that align with PtoP’s priorities for the year: • Job quality • Credential quality • Connections to systems, networks, and opportunity This is your chance to share what’s working, spark new thinking, and connect with education leaders, policymakers, and workforce development experts from across the country who are reimagining how we prepare young people for meaningful careers. Submit your proposal today >> https://hubs.la/Q03wxJBV0