Connecting Opportunity Youth to Postsecondary Credentials and Careers
Today, 4.5 million young adults ages 16 to 24 are out of school and unemployed. Often referred to as “opportunity youth,” they face significant barriers in the labor market. Policymakers must learn from proven college…
Preparing Opportunity Youth for the Future of Work
The future of work—resulting from fast- paced changes in technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and fluctuations in the way we perform work—will create economic growth and new jobs across the country, but only for communities that…
Closing the Credit-Noncredit Divide: Bridging the Gap in Postsecondary Education to Expand Opportunity for Low-Wage Working Adults
This report examines the structural divide between for-credit and noncredit postsecondary education and the problems it presents for people seeking better jobs with higher pay. It highlights innovative ways that some community colleges are trying…
Making Higher Education Policy Work for The Untapped Workforce
Learn how higher education policy can transform our education and workforce systems to support the untapped workforce and prepare them for the 21st century economy. Related Content
Federal-State Partnership Strategies for Student Success
Federal-State Partnership Strategies for Student Success Our rapidly changing economy demands a renewed national focus on building talent to help Americans secure family-supporting careers. In order to meet the coming challenge, our education and workforce…
Identifying America's Untapped Workforce
A growing number of employers identify difficulty hiring highly qualified workers as their top competitive challenge. Roughly 75 million of Americans could meet these employer needs but currently lack the skills or supports to do…
Recommendations for Preparing America's Untapped Workforce
JFF defines the "untapped workforce" as the population of working-aged adults who do not have the work or wages they need to get by. To maximize national economic growth, meet employers’ talent needs, and eliminate…
Alleviating Poverty for Opportunity Youth
Alleviating Poverty for Opportunity Youth In preparation for a new Congress and updates to federal poverty alleviation initiatives, JFF developed *Alleviating Poverty for Opportunity Youth*, a brief highlighting how policymakers must ensure that young people…
Closing the Gap: The Future of Apprenticeship in California
The driving force of California’s growing innovation economy is talent. However, there is also a growing mismatch between the type of talent in demand and the type of talent in supply. This paper describes why…