The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous uncertainty for everyone and in particular tens of millions of frontline workers who make their living in industries like retail, hospitality, food and beverage, and the gig economy, among others.
This is creating new challenges for those workers, employers, and the workforce and training systems as they pivot rapidly to respond to labor market disruptions.
Startups can be ideally positioned to address the challenges that arise at moments like these. Even as they themselves grapple with many of the same uncertainties that other businesses are facing, startups across the country and the world have built innovative, easy-to-use new technologies to connect workers and students with opportunities to learn, gain new skills, and prepare for an uncertain future.
JFFLabs identifies and partners with mission-driven tech startups that are creating innovative solutions to challenges facing workers and employers. These include, for example, more-accessible worker training systems and innovative assessment tools that help determine whether certain jobs are good fits for particular workers and companies. In a crowded landscape, we work only with entrepreneurs and companies who are poised to both grow and make a meaningful, positive difference for workers and learners.
We’ve been excited to see many of our startup partners working overtime to offer solutions to critical problems that are emerging during this moment. In the coming days, we’ll be highlighting some of the best products and services startups have developed to address education and workforce needs that have arisen during the recent economic slowdown.
In this urgent time, JFFLabs will continue solving problems in partnership with leading mission- and impact-aligned startups. Together, we’ll be identifying solutions and deploying them to learners and workers.
JFFLabs is leading a series on Twitter at #ImpactAcceleration, where we will feature select startups and their solutions, and illustrate how workers and employers can take advantage of these innovations in the face of change.