This brief examines employer demand for and the potential return on investment (ROI) of educational credentials in tech in order to support the design of equitable pathways that lead to quality jobs. Tech degrees consistently have a high ROI, especially in comparison with similar credentials in other industries. But education and workforce leaders…

Millions of working Californians are unable to fulfill their families' basic needs. Higher-paying jobs that require specialized skills are beyond their reach, and many entry-level jobs are likely to be automated by 2022, so there is an urgent need to redesign the state's education and training systems to help people get the skills they need to…

Career pathways aligned with regional labor markets are foundational structures put in place to ensure that youth are best positioned for economic advancement. While it is not difficult to describe an aligned pathway (also called a program of study) at a high level, actually designing a pathway with all of the required details is challenging. The…

Millions of working Californians are unable to fulfill their families' basic needs. Automation is likely to eliminate many of their jobs by 2022, and higher-paying jobs that require specialized skills, while plentiful, are beyond their reach. Therefore, there's an urgent need to redesign the state's education and training systems to help people…

The IT industry is dynamic and quickly evolving. As a surge of diverse training models across subsectors and occupations is becoming available, this is a unique opportunity to enhance training practices and better align them to meet industry and employer needs. This brief offers recommendations for IT training providers to strengthen their work…

Jobs for the Future created the "Career Advancement Portfolio" as central to its commitment to developing, implementing, and advocating for models, strategies, and policies that enable adults to advance toward economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. The "Portfolio" brings together the most innovative workforce development…

With the series "Advancement for Low-Wage Workers," Jobs for the Future seeks to elevate discussion of this critical issue within and outside the workforce field. These occasional papers address public policy and on-the-ground practice. "The Next Challenge," the series introduction, argues for placing not just employment, but also advancement at…