

Meet the Entrepreneurs Shaping New Apprenticeship Pathways
May 6, 2025
At A Glance
Meet 18 impressive leaders expanding apprenticeship opportunities for today’s learners—designing tech-driven, community-rooted, and industry-aligned models that open doors to meaningful, learner-centered career pathways.
Apprenticeship is a proven workforce training model that has offered people pathways to quality jobs for generations. But today’s learners—especially those navigating early-career experiences without built-in networks or financial safety nets—often face a system that wasn’t designed with their needs or potential in mind.
At Jobs for the Future (JFF), we set out to recruit a cohort of innovators and entrepreneurs with bold ideas about the future of work-based learning—some already running Registered Apprenticeship programs, others just beginning to build their vision—who are reimagining what apprenticeship can look like.
The result is a dynamic group of 18 leaders who are expanding apprenticeship into new industries and designing a new generation of experiences that are accessible to all.
A New Generation of Apprenticeship Innovators
JFF’s 2025 College Talent Pathways to Apprenticeship entrepreneurs-in-residence cohort is a dynamic mix of early-stage companies, emerging ventures, and experienced leaders scaling high-impact solutions. Some are building tech-enabled tools to simplify apprenticeship design, management, and outreach. Others are developing sector-based models tailored to industries like tech, media, clean energy, or health care. Many are creating apprenticeships rooted in community impact, blending career training with mentorship, wraparound support, and social enterprise.
What unites the members of the cohort is a commitment to building learner-centered models that move learners toward meaningful careers. These entrepreneurs bring bold visions and innovative thinking to the table—and together, they are reshaping the future of workforce development.
Read on to meet these inspiring innovators.
For-Profit Entrepreneurs

Ola Ayeni

Joi Freeman

Bianca J. Jackson

Penny Mickey

Jackie P. Taylor

Carlos Vazquez
Nonprofit Entrepreneurs

Raye Elliott

James Freeman

Dan Futrell

Ri-Karlo Handy

Waymond Jackson

Candace Newman
Blended Model Entrepreneurs

Cara Davis Anderson

Joy Briscoe

Martin Chaplin

Antiqua Cleggett

Vanessa Hardiman

Katrina Hawkins
Entrepreneurship is a driving force for economic growth, innovation, and job creation—and a powerful tool for building vibrant and resilient communities. The JFFLabs Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) program accelerates early-stage ventures by providing mentorship, strategic support, and access to a powerful network across the education and workforce ecosystem.
Over the coming months, the entrepreneurs in the College Talent Pathways to Apprenticeship cohort will continue to develop and refine their solutions—designing apprenticeship models that move learners into promising careers without forcing them to compromise on opportunity, support, or belonging.
Follow along to see how these entrepreneurs are using technology, creativity, and lived experience to modernize apprenticeship and expand access to opportunity.
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