January 13, 2026
The Good Jobs Challenge aligns education and employers through sector partnerships, data-driven collaboration, and employer-led strategies, placing 25,000+ people in quality jobs while building sustainable regional workforce systems
Over three years after the initial Good Jobs Challenge investment in 32 industry-led, worker-centered partnerships across 31 states and Puerto Rico, grantees are building talent pipelines in 15 targeted industries, including health care, information technology, and manufacturing.
Launched in 2022 by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and supported by Jobs for the Future (JFF)’s national Community of Practice (CoP), the Good Jobs Challenge (GJC) is strengthening regional workforce systems and creating pathways to quality jobs at a time when the work has never been more relevant. As the recent American Job Quality Study reveals, most U.S. workers (60%) lack quality jobs, resulting in lower well-being and satisfaction, factors that affect retention, productivity, and business performance. Through the CoP, which fosters collaboration and shared learning among grantees through national convenings, webinars, and one-on-one technical assistance coaching, JFF is supporting GJC grantees in achieving a truly historic goal: over 50,000 people will be placed into good jobs, while reshaping how workforce systems align with industry needs to drive regional growth.
In their ongoing efforts to align education and training with employer needs, grantees have implemented innovative employer engagement strategies nationwide. Here are three different approaches that reflect the relationship building, flexibility, and consistent stakeholder engagement required for the successful implementation of these sectoral training programs.
Hampton Roads Workforce Council
Through the Hampton Roads Maritime Training System, partners are strengthening the energy and the maritime industry in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Leading a multi-member sector partnership, Hampton Roads has formed close relationships with leading employers in shipbuilding and maritime in the area, including Huntington Ingalls Industries and the U.S. Navy. Additionally, they have maintained a robust partnership with the Community College Workforce Cooperative, which is a partnership between the three regional community college systems, to train maritime talent.
To maintain organization and coordinate sector partnership efforts across the broader maritime ecosystem, the Workforce Council leads a robust employer collaborative, bringing together a multitude of maritime employers and other regional stakeholders. The collaborative identifies shared talent needs, informs education and training, and coordinates job placement. They are also supporting apprenticeship expansion through the launch of its Hampton Roads Regional Apprenticeship Hub, which is expanding pathways to apprenticeships by working directly with employers and training providers.
Miami Tech Works (Florida)
Miami Tech Works has redefined regional employer engagement by positioning businesses as co-investors in talent development. Through the Miami Tech Talent Coalition, more than 400 employers collaborate in structured working groups to identify skill gaps, design training pathways, and establish hiring pipelines.
Employers’ deep involvement has produced innovative models such as project-based micro-internships, AI upskilling programs, and work-based learning initiatives that strengthen career mobility and workforce resilience. Meanwhile, training providers—over 15 of which have completed Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) training—now use data and employer feedback to continually refine their curricula, ensuring long-lasting alignment.
Alaska Primary Care Association
When the Alaska Primary Care Association found that early training efforts weren’t producing desired results, the team pivoted. They shifted their focus from training provider-driven design to an employer-led strategy that allows health care employers to define skill priorities and shape program delivery.
Clear communication and shared expectations have improved placement rates, data quality, and employer engagement. This shift not only strengthened employer trust but also opened the door to cost-sharing to support long-term sustainability.
Each of these programs utilized the GJC’s three-phase model, a defining feature that allows grantees the time and structure to design, test, and scale sustainable regional partnerships:
Across the GJC, sectoral partnerships are translating collaboration into measurable workforce outcomes. By aligning education and training providers with employers around shared labor market needs, grantees are building systems that move beyond coordination toward tangible improvements in job quality, placement, and wage growth.
With support from JFF’s Community of Practice and technical assistance, grantees are strengthening the connective tissue of their regional ecosystems—clarifying roles, building trust, and using data to guide decisions. Enhanced data systems help partners identify emerging skill gaps, track labor market trends, and focus on career pathways that offer the strongest returns for participants. This foundation of alignment enables regional workforce systems to remain responsive and evidence-driven—and, most importantly, to deliver results.
Across the country, those results are already taking shape:
Each of these stories reflects a growing network of collaboration—between employers, training providers, and community organizations—driving alignment between workforce systems and economic growth across regions.
The success of Good Jobs Challenge projects to date is a testament to the potential of coordinated, employer-led, and worker-centered partnerships. The initiative’s long-term impact lies in its ability to build enduring systems, not just one-time programs. By aligning workforce training with industry needs, fostering collaboration, and investing in data-driven improvement, the GJC is offering insights to both the workforce development and economic development fields on how to build sectoral partnerships that offer real opportunities to communities. JFF is excited to support, learn with, and collaborate with GJC grantees as they continue their path in program implementation.
