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35th Year for JFF.  Ensuring Equity i Economic Advancement, Meeting Employer Needs, Preparing for the Future of Work and assuring that there is equity throughout all of the systems.  Starting with the labor market and backmapping through post-secondary experiences and K12.  Although the unemployment rate is 3.7% and historically low, we still have 25% living below the poverty level.  How do we think about the untapped workers that are available for work, but not able to access advancement?

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Click here to see the publication described this morning.

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When Is a Job Just a Job-and When Can It Launch a Career? | JFF

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JFF accelerates the alignment and transformation of the American workforce and education systems to ensure access to economic advancement for all.

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Accelerator that is geared toward technology solutions for workforce development

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Today, retail and service sector employers compete for talent like never before. At the same time, workers, from youth entering these sectors to experienced adults, in these sectors need training to advance and sustain long-term careers.

To address this challenge, JFFLabs announces the Work-Based Learning Acceleration Cohort. J FFLabs aims to identify six passionate entrepreneurs and accelerate their work-based learning startups to scale. These startups will be poised to make a significant impact on the outcomes of workers, employers, and the US economy through technology-enabled, work-based learning strategies.

During the four-month program, cohort members will work with mentors, colleagues, visionary customers, and JFF experts to define their vision, understand market needs, avoid common pitfalls many companies experience, and develop their products.
Key Dates:

September 21, 2018 | Application Deadline (no longer accepting applications)

September 2018 | Finalists Selected

October 2018 | Cohort Announced

November 2018 | Accelerator Kick Off

One of the things that I love about JFF is that they're not just a leading national nonprofit organization. They're also working with some of the most innovative startups in the country to create real change.

Rahim Fazal, Co-Founder & CEO, SVAcademy

Why Work-Based Learning?

Work-based learning ensures workers complete meaningful job tasks in a work environment where they can develop knowledge and skills that support entry or advancement in a particular career field.

At its best, work-based learning provides on-the-job opportunities and real-world experience that open career advancement pathways for low-income and lower-skilled workers, who all too often lack equitable access to high-quality training and work experiences.

What to Expect

Mentorship and Strategic Advice: Over the course of the program, each cohort member will be assigned a mentor who will advise and facilitate introductions to a wide network of field leaders through JFF's Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning. With JFF's 35 years of expertise, our staff has deep experience with work-based learning strategies and programs, financing models, influencers, policy, and trends.

Community: Being an entrepreneur can be an amazing but at times isolating experience. JFFLabs will facilitate the connection and sharing of best practices among cohort members. They will gain the advantage of working alongside other emerging startups and leaders in the work-based learning space who are hand-picked for this program.

Pitch Opportunities and Visibility: Through its work, JFF has curated a group of leading "visionary customers" in the retail sector into a talent innovation council. Cohort companies will have the chance to connect with and pitch their ideas to these key decision makers. We will also elevate cohort companies and the cohort program through blogs, press releases, and updates to our extensive network.

Tell Your Story: As a cohort member, you will receive marketing and communications support to align your mission, refine your communications and messaging, evolve your pitch deck, and develop other materials.

Explore Financing Models: JFFLabs will work with cohort members to explore new and innovative financing models to support your growth with major strategic and financial players in the field.

Virtual Demo Day: A virtual convening of JFF's extended network of visionary customers, mentors, investors, funders, nonprofit partners, and others will be held. The agenda will include demo opportunities for cohort companies and discussion panels on lessons learned, trends, and field innovations.

Possible Investment: JFFLabs is working to establish a social impact fund to invest in workforce and training startups. Companies may receive continued support from JFFLabs in the form of a convertible note or direct investment from our close network of venture capital and angel investors.

Distributed Acceleration Model: JFFLabs wants cohort members to focus on developing their startups and achieving their goals. The JFFLabs accelerator is a virtual format, allowing teams to focus on their work, interact with mentors, and develop their companies.

When I started Year Up back in 2000, one of the very first partners I had was JFF. They have been partners now for 17 years, and in fact, a lot of Year Up's success came down to the early learning and strategic advice we got from JFF.

Gerald Chertavian, CEO and Founder of Year Up

Who We're Looking For

First and foremost, we're looking for passion. We seek entrepreneurs and startups that are mission aligned and have a solution that can have a big impact. There are a lot of great entrepreneurs out there, and we're excited to get to know you.

JFFLabs is particularly interested in early- and growth-stage tech-enabled startups with a proof of concept or product in the market. We will work to help test, refine, and scale the product to maximize sustainability and impact.

For this work-based learning cohort, we are looking for solutions that aim to equitably build or extend work-based learning opportunities that provide relevant work experiences.

Our Areas of Interest

JFFLabs will focus on the following areas of exploration that improve the lives of retail and service sector workers, including:

Work-based learning to enter retail and/or adjacent sectors

Scheduling solutions that make working and learning more accessible

Artificial intelligence-based solutions

Virtual reality-based solutions

Upskilling existing employees

Continuing education programs

Outskilling programs where employers pay employees to learn skills that transfer them out of the current employer ranks

Coaching and mentoring solutions

JFFLabs will evaluate applicants based on a variety of factors, including mission, product, business plan, market viability, team capacity, and measurability of impact.

Cohort members will be announced in November 2018. Until then, check out our market scan of work-based learning organizations and tools.

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Work-Based Learning Acceleration Cohort | JFF

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Today, retail and service sector employers compete for talent like never before. At the same time, workers, from youth entering these sectors to experienced adults, in these sectors need training to advance and sustain long-term careers. To address this challenge, JFFLabs announces the Work-Based Learning Acceleration Cohort.

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JFF accelerates the alignment and transformation of the American workforce and education systems to ensure access to economic advancement for all.

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Dean Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Gaps for college choice by family income persist even though the number of students going to college increases...  Here is the link to her presentation: https://schd.ws/hosted_files/ptopfall2018

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The acquisition of social capital is a must

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Know before you Go

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FAFSA completion increases college enrollment AND completion

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Key for parent engagement is to find “trusted” third party entities in a community to host engagement activities

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How do we ensure the “system” supports families and students to navigate the various systems (K12, postsecondary, employment, social services, etc....

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Lots of pushes to students regarding economic opportunities, but students don't always hear it in large settings.  They need incremental, concrete experiences to reinforce what they are hearing.

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The problems are great and it is a marathon not a sprint.  Equity and Equality are not the same and it should look different for every student, personalized for their conditions.  Systematically approaching the solving of incremental problems can assist in getting overall movement forward.  Utilize your assets, don't think that it has to be you on your own.

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How do we ensure the timely sharing of information, help with navigating processes? (Automatic enrollment; opt out; change the default).

How does our system support continuous learning?

How does our system ensure all students can “learn how to learn?”

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Redefine the problem

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Effective Knowledge Networks Research Summary

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Nancy Hoffman presenting

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8th grade students receive access to the course catalog upon entry.

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Pathways in the Appoquinmink District are both state approved and self-created. 

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Pathways in the Appoquinmink District are both state approved and self-created. 

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How do we recognize the need for access to asset maps that promote the mobility of students?

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20 Career Specialists in the 30 Boston high schools through PIC

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Having a clear understanding of the “currency” necessary to enable access is critical.

The problems: lack of economic mobility, disparity in assets, growing inequality.

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The icebreaker included everyone in the session discussing their current networks as they introduce themselves.

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The icebreaker included everyone in the session discussing their current networks as they introduce themselves.

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Networks should elvove over time; voluntary contributions. Produce and share new knowledge , that moves across boundaries.

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This begins in the 6th grade.

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Our children are unlikely to make more than their parents - 2016- only 7.5% are likely to make more than their parents.  Only 60% of our wealthiest students complete college.

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In Delaware 14% of students have an IEP

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Union members were included in the conversation. It’s inportant to include and maintain this partnership.

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Work with Opportunity Youth and have close relationship with high schools sharing student info and students who are dropping out; thus, they can directly work with the drop out.

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Hey

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Pipeline Overview
Partners
Need
Activities and Timeline
Objectives

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Long Beach Unified School District

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When we look at sources of information about careers, the most helpful experienced for information are work based, but the most regularly accessed source is from informal social networks.  How do we promote a shift for our students?

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The theme is connections, and presentation opened with group input and expectations.  Marlborough High School panelists. They have established economic development, chamber of commerce connections with the school. This provides opportunities for businesses to host student field trips and present to classrooms on nature of their work. They are using Navient as career exploration tool to assist students as early as 6th grade.

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The theme is connections, and presentation opened with group input and expectations.  Marlborough High School panelists. They have established economic development, chamber of commerce connections with the school. This provides opportunities for businesses to host student field trips and present to classrooms on nature of their work. They are using Navient as career exploration tool to assist students as early as 6th grade.

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A specific corporation is becoming more IT specific focused, so internships for youth diminishing. However, they want to stay engaged. So, they are delivering pre-employment technical training in the summer to keep students connected.

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If you are hiring, how can the things that people “want” be seen for different environments.  In an employment situation, how does the candidate know if they do or do not have these attributes?

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Nancy Hoffman “almost everyone has access to social networks, but so the social networks have access to the relevant information to provide opportunities?”

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Where does your network live, where should it?

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Marlborough stages of career development education

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Career Specialists have to make the matches.

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PIC pays the Career Specialists’ salaries.

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Key dates for Perkins

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Unlike Nashville, all PIC Career Specialists are typically counselor wanna be’s and have no business experience. High burnout because working in the summers. Typically no more
than 3 years.

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see handout

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JFF is sponsoring opportunities to deliver in K12 schools.

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JFF accelerates the alignment and transformation of the American workforce and education systems to ensure access to economic advancement for all.

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FY19 Funding

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Possible Futures