Person with curly hair and glasses in a yellow shirt, holding red folders and books, stands outside near a large building.

Project

Pathways to Prosperity

Our national movement transforms how U.S. education and workforce systems prepare young people for meaningful careers.

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.

Contributors

Charlotte Cahill Associate Vice President

Kyle Hartung Associate Vice President

Nancy Hoffman Senior Advisor

Courtney Huynh Senior Manager

Practices & Centers

Education

Leading a national movement

Diverse group of young adults engaged in a project, working together in a bright, contemporary co-working space, embodying teamwork and cooperation.

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

Successful company with happy employees colleagues in modern office

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:


Evidence-based support	Connections to trusted peers	Strategic advising	Innovative and scalable options to help you succeed

EXPERT SUPPORT

Expertise and collaboration you can trust

	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: Guidance and support on new initiatives Clear direction for improving student outcomes Evidence-based impact and reliable data to guide decision making

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:

Guidance and support on new initiatives
Clear direction for improving student outcomes
Evidence-based impact and reliable data to guide decision making

NETWORK

A supportive national community stands with you

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: Capacity building and connections A trusted peer network A national platform for your work

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:

Capacity building and connections
A trusted peer network
A national platform for your work

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.


Secondary- Postsecondary Integration	Career Navigation Systems	Work-Based Learning	Intermediaries	Leadership and Policy

Learn more

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.

Discover what’s possible for you

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.