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Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship

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October 17, 2023

At a Glance

JFF’s Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship offers HR professionals a no-cost opportunity to learn how to recruit skilled workers from an often-overlooked source of talent: community college career and technical education programs. Our next fellowship begins in January 2025; applications are now closed.

Practices & Centers

Jobs for the Future’s Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship is a professional development experience for emerging human resources leaders who want to tap into a diverse pipeline of talent so they can propel their companies’ workforces into the future and expand career opportunities for local community college graduates.  

Participants will discover how to engage with community college career and technical education (CTE) programs to recruit highly skilled workers and build teams of people with local roots who will make long-term commitments to their employers.  

 

A Win-Win Proposition

The individual fellows and their employers both have much to gain from the Talent of Tomorrow program.

Organizations whose employees complete the fellowship will be able to do the following:

  • Build more robust and reliable talent pipelines 
  • Diversify their workforces 
  • Work with community colleges to develop CTE programs that are responsive to the talent needs of employers in their local economies 

Fellowship participants will engage in activities that allow them to do the following:

  • Discover new talent development strategies 
  • Learn from community college instructors who are experts in their fields 
  • Experience firsthand the untapped power of community college CTE programs 
  • Network with a national cohort of emerging leaders in their fields 

What Will Talent of Tomorrow Fellows Experience?

The fellowship is a primarily virtual experience that requires a commitment of roughly six hours a month from January to August 2025. (However, if the time commitment becomes a barrier, we can work with you to create an experience that’s still valuable.)  

Here’s a look at what you can expect: 

  • Most activities take place on our self-paced online learning platform, but there will be opportunities for no-cost in-person engagement and learning experiences.  
  • You will be assigned a faculty coach who will provide you with one-on-one support as you work on the final capstone project—a pitch that you’re prepared to deliver at your organization to drive change! 
  • You will have an opportunity to join a site visit to see impactful partnerships in action at a community college. This has proved to be the hallmark event of the fellowship. 

 

Jennifer Lucia, IBM Employee and 2021 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“What are different pathways that can be created to provide accessible opportunities for people that don’t necessarily have the privilege to earn a four-year degree? That’s why I joined the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship—it aims to help employers bridge that gap.”

Tamara Webb, Trane Technologies Employee and 2024 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“Throughout the program, I learned innovative talent development strategies and had the privilege of networking with amazing leaders who are dedicated to identifying diverse pathways for talent to thrive.”

Ryan J. Ellis, Lincoln Electric Employee and 2021 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“What worked a year and a half ago is not working today, and so we are constantly looking at what we can do differently and be a little more innovative in our recruitment—that is why I joined the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship.”

Companies Represented by Our Fellows

Why Career and Technical Education Programs? 

Employers must reimagine the talent they need to not only manage today’s challenges but also thrive in a future that will require a resilient, inclusive, and diverse workforce. They can develop that workforce in partnership with community college career and technical education programs. 

Here are three reasons why you should partner with CTE programs: 

  1. They produce talented graduates who have the skills and drive your company’s needs. 
  2. They serve as direct pipelines of talent that you can tap to accelerate your diversity efforts and create the workforce of the future. 
  3. Engaging with CTE programs can give you an opportunity to influence the training they offer and customize coursework and subject matter to meet your needs.
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Meet the Fourth Cohort of Fellows

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Manager, Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health

Carrie Billingslea
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Head of Human Resources, Country Maid, Inc.

Sara Blair
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Campus Recruiter, Novelis

Donna Blaum
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Workforce Development Program Manager, HCA Healthcare

Erica M. Castro
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Talent Acquisition Specialist, Novelis

Julia Clark
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HR Analyst II, ALLETE

Carrie Taylor Kemp
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Global Strategy Leader, P-TECH, IBM

Amanda Liimatainen
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Director, Workforce Development, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Dexter McKinney
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Human Resources Director, Paramount

Courtney Nicotra
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Manager, Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health

Jacqueline Perez
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Sr. Recruiting Manager, Delta Air Lines

John Pogorzelski
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Workforce Programs Manager, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Sarah Thoresen
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Lead Talent and Performance Management Consultant, Wells Fargo

Nzingha Williams
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Education Outreach Manager, Trane Technologies

Erika Wyar

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