JFF Selected by U.S. Economic Development Administration to Lead Good Jobs Challenge Cohort

$4.6 million grant will support JFF's efforts to increase the capacity and impact of 32 workforce partnerships operating across the country

BOSTON, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, announced today that it has been awarded a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to convene and lead a Community of Practice (CoP) as an extension of the Good Jobs Challenge. Under JFF's leadership, the CoP will share best practices, provide technical assistance, and extend professional networks among the Good Jobs Challenge's 32 grantee organizations, which were announced yesterday.

"The Good Jobs Challenge links workforce development and economic development by connecting local leaders with a diverse set of partners to generate new ways to equitably grow regional economies," said Maria Flynn, President and CEO of JFF. "In establishing a Community of Practice, JFF will support grantees as they build and implement customized solutions to address the specific talent needs of their communities while ensuring knowledge sharing and development of best practices based on what works elsewhere."

Announced in August 2021 as part of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, the Good Jobs Challenge is a $500 million nationwide initiative to support the American worker. Through the Good Jobs Challenge, EDA is supporting innovative approaches to seed and scale industry-led workforce training partnerships across the country. With a focus on job quality and equity, awardees will provide tangible opportunity and security for American workers — particularly women, people of color, and workers from historically underserved communities — and connect employers with the trained workforce they need to grow and remain competitive. 

In managing the Community of Practice, JFF will foster collaboration among grantees to increase best practice sharing and strengthen networks to fortify the connection between workforce and economic development; provide access to subject matter experts, coaching and technical assistance to individual awardees on building workforce systems and sectoral strategies; curate a regular cadence of data-sharing workshops; coordinate with grantees on the development of program impact measurement methods; and convene quarterly and annual meetings among grantee organizations to enhance inter-organizational networking and to share field-informed innovation. JFF will also ensure resources developed as part of the CoP are made available to the wider community of economic development practitioners. JFF-administered services will focus on the amplification of diverse voices and leaders; assisting grantees in the identification and removal of systemic barriers individuals face in accessing training and jobs; and providing support in outreach to underserved populations and in disaggregating job seeker outcomes by race, ethnicity, gender, and age.

"The Good Jobs Challenge supports EDA's mission to lead the federal economic development agenda and recognizes that workforce development is a critical pillar of locally-led innovative and competitive economic development," explained Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. "The Community of Practice furthers that objective by working closely with our 32 diverse awardees on equitable talent development strategies, engaging employers as partners, and building integrated, holistic local systems that lead to strong job outcomes and regional economic growth."

Work on the Good Jobs Challenge Community of Practice will begin immediately with EDA grant funding supporting a four-year period of performance through June 2026. For more information on JFF's work, visit www.jff.org.

ABOUT JOBS FOR THE FUTURE: Jobs for the Future (JFF) is a national nonprofit that drives transformation in the American workforce and education systems. For nearly 40 years, JFF has led the way in designing innovative and scalable solutions that create access to economic advancement for all. For more information, visit www.jff.org.

SOURCE JFF