ASA and JFF Partner to Create New Center to Help Gen Z Navigate High-Quality Postsecondary Education and Career Options

BOSTON, MA (July 22, 2024) — American Student Assistance® (ASA) today announced a $25 million award to Jobs for the Future (JFF). This multiyear investment will underpin a strategic partnership to create the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF and support JFF’s North Star goal. The new center will empower young people, ages 16-24, to better understand and navigate quality education and career pathways after high school by providing access to resources and opportunities that will lead them to meaningful, quality jobs. 

Young people face significant challenges today, including tuition costs that have tripled over time—as well as stretched school counseling and advising caseloads—with no guarantee their education and career choices will provide a valuable return on investment. Today’s rapidly evolving and complex economy demands innovative models to help them explore and navigate education and training options. Together, ASA and JFF are partnering to help young people across the United States, many of whom face systemic barriers to advancement, access the information they need to navigate confusing education and career choices and decide “what’s next” with confidence.

The new center aims to lead the field in career navigation for high school students and young people who are neither in school nor employed, with a goal of helping 20 million young learners by 2030. To achieve this, the center will raise awareness about career navigation and high-quality nondegree pathways for young people through convening thought leaders, market research, and advocating for key federal and state policy changes. Ultimately, these efforts will culminate in the development of a comprehensive, free digital platform designed to guide young people in exploring education and career paths that do not require a college degree.

As the skills-first movement gains momentum, with at least 18 states dropping degree requirements and predictions that only 42% of jobs in 2031 will require a bachelor’s degree, the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF will also assist employers in identifying workers with skills that match their needs and in identifying markers of success, including certifications that denote a worker is qualified for an open position. It will also assist education and career training providers in attracting and enrolling young people, including those not in school or working.

This multiyear investment includes $15 million to create the new ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF and $10 million to support JFF’s North Star goal: by 2033, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs. The announcement was made at JFF’s annual national summit, Horizons, in Washington, DC.

“For two and a half years, JFF has been a trusted collaborator in ASA’s work to ensure all young people have equitable access to career readiness information and experiences,” said Jean Eddy, President and CEO of ASA. “ASA’s decision to invest $25 million to create the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF and support its North Star goal demonstrates our confidence that with this new center and our partnership, we can vastly improve learners’ ability to navigate the education and career options available to them.” 

“We are grateful for ASA’s landmark investment, and are confident the new ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF will play a critical role in helping us achieve our North Star goal,” said Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs for the Future. “ASA and JFF invite employers, learning providers, workforce organizations, funders, policymakers, and others to join us with your ideas, skills, experience, and resources to build a future where all young people nationwide can access a variety of learning pathways that they are confident will lead to meaningful, quality jobs.” 

With more than 1 million credentials currently available through paths that include certificate or license training programs, apprenticeships, and college degrees, the new center comes at a critical moment. It’s time for the many young people who face an “information gap” due to a lack of self-directed digital resources available, to receive the help they need to find, evaluate, pay for, and access nondegree programs that will lead them to a future of success.

Visit www.jff.org/asacareernavigation to receive updates about the center’s work and learn how you and your organization can participate and contribute. To view ASA and JFF’s current knowledge hub for learners and employers, visit expandopportunities.org.

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About American Student Assistance® (ASA) 

American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures through equitable access to career readiness information and experiences. ASA helps middle and high school students to know themselves—their strengths and their interests—and understand their education and career options so that they can make informed decisions. ASA fulfills its mission— in schools and beyond the classroom—by providing free digital experiences, including Futurescape®, Next VoiceTM, and EvolveMe®, directly to millions of students, and through advocacy, impact investing, thought leadership, and philanthropic support for educators, intermediaries, and others. ASA fosters a generation of confident, crisis-proof young people who are ready for whatever path comes next after high school. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-asa. 

About Jobs for the Future (JFF) 

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. We do this by designing solutions, scaling best practices, influencing policy and action, and investing in innovation. We forge deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible. jff.org