Project
January 19, 2023
The Big Blur
An argument for erasing the boundaries between high school, college, and careers, and creating one new system that works for everyone.
Project
Pathways to Prosperity
Our national movement transforms how U.S. education and workforce systems prepare young people for meaningful careers.
Get in touch
At a Glance
With over a decade of leadership in the pathways movement, we bring incomparable expertise, collaboration, and a relentless curiosity to our partnerships with state and regional leaders.
Leading a national movement
Through Pathways to Prosperity (PtoP), Jobs for the Future is leading a national movement to reimagine how we prepare youth for the future of work.
Together with our Network members and Coalition partners, we develop, implement, and scale pathways to expand economic opportunity for all young people and meet regional talent needs.
Our forward-looking approach depends on strong cross-sector partnerships. PtoP mobilizes K-12 and postsecondary education leaders, policymakers, and employers, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to build a future that works—for everyone.
Launched in 2012 in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, PtoP works with innovative organizations and leaders, practitioners, and policymakers advancing pathways strategies and systems in their states and regions.
Our goals
Every young person has clear goals for college and career and the support to achieve them.
Every employer has a talent pipeline of young professionals with the skills needed to contribute to and lead the workforce.
Every regional and state economy is thriving and provides its citizens with opportunities for economic advancement.
Facing this challenge head-on
“The American system for preparing young people to lead productive and prosperous lives as adults is clearly badly broken. Failure to aggressively overcome this challenge will surely erode the fabric of our society.”
Pathways to Prosperity report
Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2011
Shaping futures hands-on
We understand that young people need both cross-cutting skills and specialized knowledge to thrive in the rapidly changing economy. Our approach tailors pathways to meet the needs of students, educators, employers, and states and regions—building a thriving and equitable economy.
Transforming systems at scale
states
communities
all U.S. high school students
all U.S. community college students
Customized Solutions
Partnering to transform education and workforce systems
We help you empower young people through personalized support that goes beyond guidance—we roll up our sleeves to work with you and alongside you, becoming your dedicated partner through hands-on collaboration. We deliver:
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| Evidence-based support | Connections to trusted peers |
Strategic advising | Innovative and scalable options to help you succeed |
EXPERT SUPPORT
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With more than a decade of leadership in the pathways movement, we know our stuff. The Pathways to Prosperity team brings incomparable expertise, collaboration, and relentless curiosity to every partnership. We provide:
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NETWORK
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Our community brings together leaders and practitioners across sectors, including employers, K-12 and postsecondary educators, intermediaries, government agencies, policymakers, nonprofits, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We offer:
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Pathways to Prosperity Framework
We collaborate with state and regional leaders to design pathways that help young people advance from high school, through postsecondary education, and into meaningful careers.
To create successful pathways, our framework outlines five key levers.
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Secondary- |
Career |
Work-Based |
Intermediaries |
Leadership and Policy |
Championing a shared vision
Pathways to Prosperity spans the entire United States and includes both regions and entire states. Our partners unite to realize a shared vision: education and workforce systems that better prepare young people for their future careers.
Where we’ve worked
Pathways to Prosperity Network
Network members include local government officials, leaders in K-12 and higher education, employers, workforce development boards, and community leaders at the state, regional and local levels. This work requires many organizations coming together to reimagine our systems.
As a member of the Pathways to Prosperity Network, your state or region will work with our team to develop pathways strategies and models that are tailored to your goals, education and workforce systems, and labor market needs.
Pathways to Prosperity Coalition
Coalition partners collaborate with JFF on specific projects to advance evidence-based initiatives designed to test, validate, and scale innovative strategies, models, and systems.
They engage in activities that support knowledge sharing, relationship building, and research-backed innovation. Engagement opportunities include:
- “Book clubs” that explore ways to apply and learn from new research and data.
- Twice-annual institutes that convene Coalition partners for two days of shared learning, networking, and discussion.
- Ideation events that elicit practitioner and policymaker voices and perspectives to ensure that our collective best thinking is harnessed for the most challenging problems.
- Learning webinars that unpack and explore different angles of the five Pathways to Prosperity levers.
If you’re interested in working with us to transform our education and workforce systems as a member of the PtoP Coalition, please complete this form. We’ll send you our newsletter, which features opportunities to engage with Pathways to Prosperity and the national pathways movement.
Enrich your journey
April 25, 2023 | Post
Sustaining a Movement for the Next 10 Years: The Pathways to Prosperity Coalition
June 20, 2024 | Post
Dual Transformation in Dual Enrollment
Accelerating Outcomes through Innovation
October 18, 2023 | Post
What Will It Take to Unlock Pathways? JFF Partners with the Biden-Harris Administration to Find Out
Meet our team
Get to know our dedicated experts.
Let’s Connect
Complete the form to learn more about Pathways to Prosperity and sign up for our newsletter.
Related Content
Report/Research
October 18, 2023
Framework for the Design and Implementation of College and Career Pathways in Rural Communities
Pathways that respond to the unique needs of—and opportunities in—rural communities are a critical strategy to support youth and advance economic development. This framework outlines key considerations and promising strategies for pathways leaders who seek to achieve equitable outcomes for youth while strengthening rural communities.
Project
Building and Scaling Equitable Pathways in Your Region
This body of work leverages the collective learnings and experiences of the Building Equitable Pathways initiative to provide curated sets of resources that address some of the most common and complex challenges in pathways work to support immediate and actionable systems change efforts.