Grounded in JFF’s legacy of postsecondary networks, Engaging Leaders and Empowering Vision that Actively Transforms Education (ELEVATE) provides the infrastructure, community, and vision needed to achieve enduring state-level impact and move us towards JFF’s North Star goal: By 2033, 75 million people facing barriers to economic advancement will have quality jobs.
ELEVATE is a national network reimagining postsecondary education to deliver real skills, real credentials, and real opportunity for economic advancement.
Launched in 2025, ELEVATE is a powerful space built by Jobs for the Future to advance innovation, scale solutions, and transform education-to-employment pathways.
The network brings together a broad coalition of state-level leaders from success centers, departments of education, system offices, education agencies and associations, and key postsecondary institutions to:
Credentials must be trusted containers of dynamic, transferable skills that connect to work and unlock economic mobility and long-term career success.
The time, money, and other barriers to students earning a credential of value must be minimized while ensuring a strong return on their investment.
Postsecondary programs must provide universal structures and supports that ensure students learn and attain skills that lead to good jobs.
JFF offers personalized support that goes beyond guidance—we work alongside you, becoming your dedicated partner through hands-on collaboration.
We foster open communication, honest reflection, and shared accountability.
We embrace a “learn, apply, reflect together” model to drive continuous improvement.
We recognize that states are critical units of change and aim to empower them through partnerships and technical assistance.
We partner with state systems to embed scalable, sustainable transformation through long-term policy and funding opportunities.
ELEVATE unites the people shaping the future of postsecondary—state and regional leaders, policymakers, employers, and innovators.
Together, we amplify ideas, share solutions, and drive state-level changes that ripple across the nation.
We connect state-level education and workforce leaders with partners across the United States to drive major state-scale change.
Members engage in the network through:
ELEVATE is for partners with state and regional postsecondary impact – a one-stop shop to connect education/workforce leaders with partners everywhere in the U.S. to drive major state-scale change.
“[We have] a chance to reimagine postsecondary education and ensure it works for everyone.”
Our vision: By 2033, 75 million Americans facing barriers to economic advancement will have quality jobs.
The North Carolina Student Success Center and JFF developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidance Handbook to assist North Carolina community college leaders, faculty, and staff in ethically and effectively integrating AI technologies into educational practices, student services, and administrative operations.
This work was made possible thanks to generous support from Ascendium Education Philanthropy a division of Ascendium Education Group.
JFF partnered with postsecondary stakeholders, student parents, and other partners in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin to develop state-specific strategy maps for improving student parent outcomes by scaling two-generation approaches. Work continues in these states to implement policies and practices related to expanding state-level, cross-sector partnerships, developing a culture of support and respect, and elevating cross-organizational, longitudinal data.
This work was made possible thanks to generous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges launched the Early Adopter Advising Technology Implementation Project with six colleges to explore how technology can enhance advising. The community of practice will share lessons learned to support statewide scaling.
This work was made possible thanks to generous support from the ECMC Foundation.
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office launched the CA Competency-based Education Collaborative to explore direct assessment competency-based education with eight institutions. JFF provided technical assistance, coaching, and event support leading up to the forthcoming release of a blueprint for developing direct assessment CBE programs.
ELEVATE builds on JFF’s legacy of postsecondary networks to transform how learners earn and use credentials. By testing bold ideas and scaling proven practices, we’re reimagining pathways that lead to quality jobs and lasting economic advancement.
Accelerating our education pathways systems toward equitable economic advancement. Today’s education ecosystem must meet the needs of today’s learners. This means learner-centered outcomes, pathways between education and careers, and policies and practices that support both…
Postsecondary education is saturated with credentials that don’t deliver. JFF is catalyzing an effort to help advance development of credentials of value that open doors and carry weight across a lifetime. With more than 40…
Why Institutional Efforts Must Be Rooted in the Authentic Needs of Learners Community college representatives across the four Student Success Centers who participated in a community of practice share their learnings around the 2-Generation Framework—a…
JFF is collaborating with The PwC Foundation to support a cohort of 10 exemplary public community and technical colleges to expand and scale effective programs that connect learners to paid work-based learning and quality jobs.…
A literature review of the data and evidence around adult learners (age 25+) in the U.S. postsecondary education system, with particular attention to online settings and Black learners. Black Adult Learners and Online Settings:…
JFF’s Normalizing Education Collective is a community of practice that supports practitioners in postsecondary prison education by providing access to top resources, peer-to-peer learning, and mentorships. Results *Note: project is ongoing Through participation in the…
Join the Network! Millions of people are unable to access education and training and find jobs that drive economic success for themselves and their families. Join leaders across the country taking meaningful action so that our people, our economy, and our country can thrive.
How Leaders and Workers Can Prepare for a Reshaped Future of Work