From Pathways To Policy: JFF's Vision For A Career-Ready Workforce
At a time when the economy is shifting and student needs are evolving, the case for more flexible, ... More career-connected learning has never been stronger. (Photo by: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
At a time when the economy is shifting and student needs are evolving, the case for more flexible, career-connected learning has never been stronger. From youth apprenticeships and dual enrollment to industry-aligned pathways, states are stepping up—and organizations like Jobs for the Future (JFF) are helping lead the way.
In this exclusive Q&A, Maria Flynn, President and CEO of JFF, shares her insights on where the career-connected learning movement is headed. She weighs in on bipartisan momentum, promising state models, AI's role in the classroom, and what policymakers must do now to ensure today's learners are ready for tomorrow's jobs.
Workforce development and career education are key priorities for many governors. Tell us about Jobs for the Future's work with states to support flexible learning and career-aligned outcomes. What does this work look like, and which states are standouts in terms of innovation and impact?
For over 40 years, JFF has partnered with states to build career-aligned education and training systems, expanding work-based learning, apprenticeships, and career pathways that connect learners to good jobs. Through JFF's Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning and the Pathways to Prosperity Network, we help states design policies and programs that make education more flexible, workforce-relevant, and accessible.
Maria Flynn, CEO of Jobs for the Future
And momentum in this space is building. Recently, at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, I joined Governors Tony Evers (D-WI) and Mark Gordon (R-WY) for a conversation on aligning education and workforce systems to meet labor market needs. With 10 other governors in the room, the bipartisan enthusiasm was clear: States are committed to expanding opportunities that give students real-world learning experiences and clear pathways to economic mobility.
Texas is a great example. The Texas Regional Pathways Network is expanding career pathways that lead to industry-recognized credentials, strengthening education-workforce connections so students graduate with in-demand skills. Colorado's Big Blur initiative, which JFF helped advise, is redefining the transition from high school to career, advancing policies that expand youth apprenticeships, dual enrollment, and industry credential attainment.
Across the country, states are moving beyond traditional education silos to build flexible, career-connected learning models that prepare young people for the jobs of the future. Now is the time to scale these approaches—and I'm eager to see how states continue to push forward.
In her confirmation hearing, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stressed the importance of multiple pathways to success in the workforce. She's a proponent of apprenticeships, high school dual-credit programs, and other Career Connected Learning opportunities. What opportunities are you hoping to explore with the new administration?
JFF shares Secretary McMahon's commitment to expanding career-connected learning. We look forward to working with the administration to scale high-quality apprenticeships, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and dual-enrollment programs that accelerate workforce readiness.
JFF's Federal Policy Blueprint for the Trump Administration outlines key steps: setting ambitious career-readiness goals, prioritizing federal investment in skills development, and advancing industry-driven training. Proven models like CareerWise—a Swiss-inspired youth apprenticeship program operating in Colorado, New York, Washington, D.C., Indiana, and Michigan—demonstrate that career pathways can be an "options multiplier," opening doors to both college and careers. Similarly, North Carolina's Cooperative Innovative High Schools have implemented a shared governance model among school districts, community colleges, and employers to align education with workforce needs. This approach ensures joint decision-making in curriculum design, dual-enrollment opportunities, and the creation of internships or apprenticeships in high-demand fields like healthcare, IT, and early childhood education. The partnership accelerates students' entry into careers while preparing them for postsecondary education.
At JFF, we're eager to build on successful state models and work with the new administration to expand career-connected learning. This will help create a more inclusive and dynamic education system that ensures all learners have multiple opportunities to succeed after high school.
At the end of 2024, Congress came close to passing a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), but it didn't cross the finish line. Why does WIOA need an update and how could our nation's workforce system better partner with K-12 and postsecondary education to better support and prepare students for the jobs of the future?
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is pivotal in shaping the nation's workforce development system. However, the labor market has changed significantly since WIOA was last reauthorized in 2014; Congress needs to update the statute to account for current economic realities, emerging challenges, and new opportunities brought on by technological advancements. JFF has called on Congress to pass the "A Stronger Workforce for America Act," which proposes critical enhancements to WIOA, such as emphasizing skills development, introducing flexible training and career service delivery, and strengthening employer engagement. However, there's more work to be done to provide states and workforce entities with the resources and flexibility they need to implement proven workforce training models like industry sector partnerships and career pathways. Industry sector partnerships are invaluable in aligning education with current and future economic needs and in validating the labor market value of education programs and their associated credentials.
Preparing students for the future of work depends on our ability to foster strong partnerships across the workforce development, K-12, and postsecondary education ecosystem. Local workforce boards are well-positioned to bridge the arbitrary divide between industry and education, helping to ensure that secondary and postsecondary curricula better align with employer demand, create new work-based learning opportunities, and leverage labor market information to enhance career navigation and counseling services. In prioritizing these efforts, we can connect the skills that employers need and those learned in a classroom.
How are you thinking about AI in this time of rapid change? Are there ways in which AI is already being used effectively to accelerate Career Connected Learning?
AI adoption in education and work is accelerating. In a recent survey with Audience Net, JFF found that 57% of learners now report that AI is being incorporated into their education by instructors (up from 13% in 2023). Yet, we also found that access remains uneven, with most learning institutions reporting that they are just beginning to use AI and related tools.
JFF sees the opportunity in AI and has a Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work that believes that—if designed, understood, and used correctly—AI can make learning more flexible, career-connected, and accessible, helping young people advance in their educational journey and connect to good jobs. The Center is supporting efforts around AI-powered tutoring, career guidance, and digital credentials to better ensure AI literacy is integrated into learning, while ensuring that AI supports—not replaces—human-centered education.
To fully tap AI's potential, we need better policies, stronger workforce data, and greater investments in digital transformation. AI can expand career pathways and improve labor market insights, but only if we ensure these tools benefit all learners and don't just reinforce existing biases.
National competitiveness is a priority for Republicans and Democrats. In a time of deep political divisions, how might both parties come together to prepare the next generation for the jobs of the future? Are there any opportunities you would encourage policymakers to seize or any strong state or local examples to replicate?
In a deeply divided political climate, preparing the next generation for future employment remains a rare point of bipartisan consensus. JFF's "No Dead Ends" policy agenda, which aims to remove barriers to opportunity in education and the workforce, emphasizes policies with broad support across both parties. These include expanding access to industry-aligned educational opportunities, such as CTE and youth apprenticeships, which equip students with the skills employers need and provide learners with clear, practical career pathways. We also call for improved access to career information and relevant supports that enable today's learners to make informed choices about their futures and stay connected to education and work.
There are immediate bipartisan actions that federal policymakers specifically can take to address these needs, like reauthorizing WIOA, passing the JOBS Act, which would expand the Pell Grant to include short-term and workforce-aligned programs, and encouraging greater public-private partnerships to advance high-quality work-based experiences in K-12. These policies have the potential to transform the lives of millions of learners while ensuring that businesses can find the talent they need.
But as the federal government's role continues to evolve, JFF is increasingly turning to states, which are already leading the charge on this work. For example, Indiana recently launched the Career Scholarship Account program, offering $5,000 annually per student for career preparation. The state is also implementing a youth-apprenticeship program, engaging over 100 leaders to create three-year paid work-and-learn pathways for high school students. By fall, Indiana expects to enroll at least 450 new youth apprentices. At the local level in Clark County, Nevada, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is addressing teacher shortages with the launch of the NV|Forward Initiative, the state's first teacher apprenticeship program. With a 97% graduation rate, this initiative is helping to close the teacher gap and meet regional workforce needs.
By empowering states to continue this work and aligning federal policy to support and scale their successful models, we can provide every learner with a clear path to good, sustainable employment and strengthen our nation's global competitiveness.
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