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Landscape Analysis

How Can Innovative Finance Transform Our Postsecondary Education and Training Systems?

New Approaches to Paying for Postsecondary Education Offer Tremendous Potential

November 29, 2023

At a Glance

Postsecondary education plays a pivotal role in helping individuals enhance their careers and adapt to changes in the job market. However, the way that we educate and prepare workers in the United States to enter the labor market is inflexible and disjointed, and it consistently falls short of supporting future workers in financing their education. In this comprehensive report, JFF’s Financing the Future (FTF) team breaks down five innovative finance models that have the potential to transform our postsecondary education and training systems: Outcome-Based Financing, Pay for Success, Lifelong Learning Accounts, Employer Training Incentives, and Employment-Connected Training.

 

Contributors
Financing the Future
Practices & Centers

Financing the Future

JFF’s Financing the Future (FTF) initiative reimagines the way we finance education and skills development.

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Project

Financing the Future

JFF’s Financing the Future initiative reimagines the way we finance education and skills development. JFF’s Financing the Future initiative reimagines the way we finance education and skills development. Our team is made up of individuals…

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Income Share Agreements

An income share agreement (ISA) is an innovative financing tool used by education and training providers that ties the amount that learners pay to the amount of money they earn after completion. Students pay a…

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Report/Research

Exploring Racial and Gender Differences in ISA Contract Terms and Repayment Patterns

Income share agreements (ISA) have garnered significant excitement as a new tool to finance postsecondary education, but it is unclear what effect they have on racial and gender equity. Using a proprietary data set of…

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Practices & Centers

Policy & Advocacy

We are advancing evidence-based policy to enact changes in the education system and the workforce. Nearly half of U.S. workers are in low-paying jobs. Systemic issues in education, employment, and workforce development prevent millions of…