Kicking Off Career Exploration in the Creative Economy
May 4, 2022
At a Glance
JFF’s partnership with Reebok, Yellowbrick, and APB culminates in student-created sneakers released online and in five cities.
Reebok, the iconic lifestyle brand, in partnership with Yellowbrick, an online education platform focused on the creator economy, sneaker and fashion specialty retailer APB, and Jobs for the Future (JFF), announced in a press release the completion of their first collaborative online education and mentorship program. The program concludes with the drop of a Reebok sneaker that was designed, produced, and marketed by three of the students involved in the program. The new sneaker, known as Duality, is now available on the APB website and in APB stores in Columbia, Greenville, and Charleston, South Carolina, and Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida.
This partnership and the Sneaker Essentials Course are based on an innovative model that engages individuals in industry-aligned learning pathways. The program has created opportunities for young people, opened up access to information and resources that they can use as they explore their career options, and provided participants with hands-on experience that led to the creation of a product that’s on the market and available to consumers today.
This model includes opportunities for learners to develop entrepreneurial skills, which can contribute to the national economy in several ways. For example, people who take an entrepreneurial approach to business not only create new products; they can also spur innovations that lead to further research, improve existing enterprise operations, and spark ideas and inspiration regarding new products and services that can drive social change.
Moreover, whether they go on to launch their own businesses or not, learners who study entrepreneurship develop valuable skills and personal traits—including resilience and the ability to think critically, solve problems, and communicate effectively—that serve them well throughout their careers.
At JFF, we partner with innovators that are building new models and solutions toward social and economic advancement. This program from Yellowbrick works not only because it helps people build skills through work-based learning and career exploration, but also because it makes an investment in the long-term growth of students through mentorship, social capital, and network connections that enable learners to access—and sustain—careers in high-growth sectors like creative industries.
Kristina Francis, Executive Director, JFFLabs
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