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Project

Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship

On this page

October 17, 2023

At a Glance

JFF’s Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship was a no-cost professional development program for HR professionals to learn how to recruit skilled workers from an often-overlooked source of talent: community college career and technical education (CTE) programs. The fellowship ran from 2020-2025 and is no longer accepting applications. This page remains live as a resource for employers and education partners.

Practices & Centers

JFF’s Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship was a professional development program designed for emerging HR leaders who sought to strengthen their companies’ talent strategies and build partnerships with community college CTE programs.

Participants discovered how to engage with CTE programs to recruit highly skilled workers and build teams of people with local roots who will make long-term commitments to their employers.

 

A Win-Win Proposition

Through the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship, fellows and their employers gained valuable experience and insights that continue to inform how companies approach community college and CTE partnerships today.

Fellows gained practical experience and insights that helped them:

  • Discover new talent development strategies
  • Learn from community college instructors who are experts in their fields
  • Experience firsthand the untapped power of community college CTE programs
  • Network with a national cohort of emerging leaders in their fields

Participating organizations strengthened their talent strategies and were able to:

  • Build more robust and reliable talent pipelines
  • Diversify their workforces
  • Work with community colleges to develop CTE programs that are responsive to the talent needs of employers in their local economies

What Did Talent of Tomorrow Fellows Experience?

Designed for emerging HR and talent leaders, the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship combined virtual learning, individual coaching, and experiential site visits to help participants build and sustain partnerships with community college CTE programs.

Fellows engaged in self-paced online learning, received one-on-one coaching from community college faculty to develop a final capstone pitch for their company, and took part in site visits that brought innovative partnerships to life. Together, these experiences created a dynamic learning journey that helped fellows translate new insights into action within their organizations.

Jennifer Lucia, IBM Employee and 2021 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“What are different pathways that can be created to provide accessible opportunities for people that don’t necessarily have the privilege to earn a four-year degree? That’s why I joined the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship—it aims to help employers bridge that gap.”

Tamara Webb, Trane Technologies Employee and 2024 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“Throughout the program, I learned innovative talent development strategies and had the privilege of networking with amazing leaders who are dedicated to identifying diverse pathways for talent to thrive.”

Ryan J. Ellis, Lincoln Electric Employee and 2021 Talent of Tomorrow Fellow:

“What worked a year and a half ago is not working today, and so we are constantly looking at what we can do differently and be a little more innovative in our recruitment—that is why I joined the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship.”

Companies Represented by Our Fellows

Through the Talent of Tomorrow Fellowship, JFF has engaged 60+ fellows representing 45 companies. They represent industries including health care, IT, manufacturing, financial services, retail, and the skilled trades, with an estimated combined workforce of at least 4.8 million employees globally. Here are the companies represented by our most recent cohorts:

Red CVS logo with a heart symbol on the left followed by the letters "CVS" in bold uppercase font on a white background.
The Deloitte logo features the company name in bold black letters with a green dot at the end on a light gray background.
Delta Air Lines logo featuring a red triangular symbol on the left and the word "DELTA" in bold blue letters on the right.
The Google logo in bold lowercase letters with blue, red, yellow, and green colors on a white background.
Black geometric shapes, including rectangles and arcs, arranged in a grid pattern on a white background.
Lockheed Martin logo with company name in blue capital letters and a stylized star graphic on the right.
Large yellow "M" shaped arch on a white background, representing the McDonald's logo.
Meta logo featuring a blue, looping infinity symbol to the left of the word "Meta" in bold black letters on a light background.
Navy blue Paramount logo with stylized mountain, encircled by stars, and the text "Paramount A Skydance Corporation" below on a light background.
Wells Fargo logo with white text on a red background.

Why Career and Technical Education Programs? 

Employers face a growing talent shortage, and the gap is widening as technology reshapes the skills companies need. By partnering with community and technical college CTE programs, businesses can access a direct, cost-effective pipeline of skilled, work-ready talent.

CTE programs graduate more than 1.3 million people each year with in-demand, industry-aligned skills. These partnerships let employers co-design training, influence curriculum, and develop a workforce that’s local, qualified, and prepared for the future.

See the impact in action: Hear directly from Fellowship alumni about how these partnerships are transforming their talent strategies.

Ready to Build the Workforce of Tomorrow?

Two people wearing plaid shirts and backpacks are standing outdoors, talking and smiling, with a building and greenery in the background.

JFF’s Power Your Workforce playbook is a practical guide for employers who want to tap into the power of community and technical college CTE programs. It explains how these programs work and provides a clear, step-by-step path for engaging with them as strategic partners.

A simple black outline of a hand holding a glowing light bulb, enclosed within a green circle.For companies ready to go further, JFF offers hands-on support. Our team works directly with employers to strengthen talent pipelines, identify and build impactful partnerships, and design future-ready workforce strategies. Learn more.

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