The announcement of the start of the solution development phase of the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition noted that JFF is playing a key role in the initiative, which is part of New Profit’s Future of Work Grand Challenge.

In this segment of the competition, six workforce boards from across the country are developing solutions to redesign the entire work and career preparation process, with the goal of reducing the time it takes to train for and land higher-wage jobs by 50 percent.

New Profit and JFF will lead the effort to provide the six workforce boards with tailored support and funding to test their innovations.

The XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition and the Future of Work Grand Challenge represent an ambitious effort to transform the U.S. workforce system. As the announcement penned by New Profit Managing Partner Angela Jackson says, “In order to reimagine the way workers attain new skills, we first need to fundamentally change the way that we train America. Faced with a widening skills gap, deteriorating job quality, and stagnant wages, the most effective workforce solutions will need to address the systemic barriers to greater learning, mobility, and progress.”

Over the next six weeks, a blog series called “Meet the Cities” will profile each of the six workforce boards taking part in the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition.