JFF in the News

States shake up adult education to help low-skilled workers

February 6, 2012, McClatchy Newspapers

"What we're trying to do is get away from these long sequences where they're stuck in a traditional adult basic-education program for a year or longer, and only when they get their GED are they permitted to enroll in college. There are adult learners that we can double down on and essentially wipe out months of their time and effort by doing two things at once," said Barbara Endel, the program director at Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based national nonprofit organization that's helping states revise their adult-education programs.

Colleges need accurate, real-time labor market data

January 30, 2012, Community College Times

That's why accurate labor market data is “extraordinarily important,” said John Dorrer, program director at Jobs for the Future (JFF). “If you get it wrong, you impose a high penalty on individuals,” who might end up with a huge debt load and limited career prospects.

JFF's Credentials That Work initiative, which is getting under way, aims to help community colleges address that gap by using real-time labor market information (LMI) derived from job postings and resumes in public and private online labor exchanges to determine “what’s happening in the here and now,” Dorrer said.

Some States Prodding Students to Graduate Early

January 24, 2012, Education Week

Many of the proposals being debated are fiscally driven, without much thought of unintended consequences of early graduation, says Diane Ward, who directs state education policy at Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit group based in Boston. Often, those programs do not adequately serve low-income and underrepresented students, and some lack clear requirements for college and career readiness, Ms. Ward found, along with fellow researcher Joel Vargas, the organization's vice president.

Efforts Are Under Way to Tie College to Job Needs

January 12, 2012, New York Times

Recently, the four-campus system joined Credentials That Work, a new project run by the Boston-based nonprofit Jobs for the Future, which uses new technology that scrapes information from online job postings and provides real-time labor market information. The

Making big leaps at Excel

January 11, 2012, Northeast Times Star

According to a report by the national organization Jobs for the Future, in one year, between one-fourth and one-third of students advanced four grade levels in math and/or English. More than two-thirds of students achieved skills gains of more than two grade levels. Average daily attendance is 83 percent, which is considered good. JFF has found that students can benefit by teaching one another and that behavior problems decrease dramatically when students are engaged in and responsible for their learning.

Even With Educated Workforce, U.S. College, Career Issues Loom

January 9, 2012, Education Week

European countries have beefed up vocational systems and modernized career training. "They've all gotten strong, while we've stayed the same," says Nancy Hoffman, the author of Schooling the Workplace and the vice president and senior adviser at Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit organization based in Boston.

Dropouts

January 6, 2012, Scholastic Administr@tor Magazine

Except for a few northern cities, the problem is primarily below the Mason-Dixon line and in California, according to the 2009 Graduating America study by Johns Hopkins University and Jobs for the Future, a Boston education consultancy. A poor economy often worsens the dropout crisis, which, in turn, worsens the economy. It's a downward spiral.

Cover Story: Year in Review- Closing the Curtains On 2011

December 26, 2011, Community College Week (cover story)

Meanwhile, Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based think tank and education advocacy group, launched an initiative that will mine, aggregate and analyze realtime job market data available on the World Wide Web data and identify important employment trends. JFF has enlisted ten community colleges into a “Credentials That Work" network and given the schools the technological tools...

Ticket to Work: Why Certificates Build Careers and Boost Economic Success

December 2011/January 2012, Community College Journal

10 community colleges...use Credentials that Work, a new workforce data tool from Boston-based Jobs for the Future (JFF). The initiative collects real-time labor market information to better align postsecondary education offerings with workforce needs.

Grant to help City Colleges bridge skills gap

December 14, 2011, Chicago Tribune

Eight community colleges around the state...will share a $1.6 million grant aimed at developing industry-based education and training programs for low-skilled and unemployed adults. The program, known as the Accelerating Opportunity Initiative, is designed to change the way adult basic education is delivered by shortening the time it takes students to earn a post-secondary credential, targeting those without a high school diploma or GED.

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