Jobs for the Future
Jobs for the Future develops, implements, and promotes new education and workforce strategies that help communities, states, and the nation compete in a global economy. In 200 communities in 41 states, JFF improves the pathways leading from high school to college to family-sustaining careers.
As the National Program Office for Jobs to Careers, JFF provided technical assistance to the 17 projects, prepared research-based publications about the experiences of project sites, coordinated peer-learning activities, and developed a toolkit on how to replicate successful program strategies.
JFF believes that a capable, diverse health care workforce, with opportunities for education, training, and advancement, is critical to the health of all Americans and to the strength of our economy. JFF undertakes research on key health care workforce issues and participates in multi-sector demonstration projects, supported by public and/or private funders.
In addition to Jobs to Careers, JFF is a partner in:
National Fund for Workforce Solutions
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is an unprecedented national partnership testing new ways to address a critical problem: the large gap between the skills many workers have and the skills many employers need to compete. The National Fund works closely with employers and leaders from the public and nonprofit sectors to find solutions, testing how lessons learned from groundbreaking pilot projects in workforce development can be applied on a national scale. About 300 funders and 900 employers are part of the effort. All 24 of the regional collaboratives in the National Fund target health care as one of the fastest-growing sectors in their communities or states.
Breaking Through
Breaking Through promotes and strengthens the efforts of community colleges to help low-skilled adults prepare for and succeed in occupational and technical degree programs, including in the burgeoning health care field. Counteracting high attrition rates in adult basic education and developmental education programs, Breaking Through colleges improve outcomes by focusing on strategies that create effective pathways through pre-college and degree-level programs and result in college completion. The initiative is proving that low-skilled adults can advance through remediation and credential programs within a reasonable time and with reasonable success.
Health Care Affinity Group
The Health Care Affinity Group is a virtual networking resource for those interested in facilitating the advancement of new and incumbent low-wage workers across the health care sector. Through conference calls and webinars, Affinity Group members share best practices, hear from subject-matter experts, and discuss new ways to think about the issues facing workers. To participate in the Health Care Affinity Group, please contact Grace Ausick, gausick@jff.org.
Health Care Virtual Career Platform
With funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, the American Association of Community Colleges is developing the Health Care Virtual Career Platform, an online source for career information. JFF is creating easy-to-use outreach materials detailing the platform’s features, as well as webinars and video-based training materials. JFF will also manage regional training sessions on implementing the Virtual Career Platform.