Better Careers for Californians: Innovations that Build the Talent Pipeline

JFF highlights work to increase economic advancement for youth and adults in California by creating strong, unified education and workforce systems across the state. The regional cross-sector collaboratives have focused on helping more low-income young people graduate high school and earn valuable postsecondary credentials. Their efforts, which integrate rigorous academics, high-quality career-technical education, and work-based learning, have generated critical lessons about how to lead positive, inclusive change at scale.

Millions of working Californians are unable to fulfill their families’ basic needs. Higher-paying jobs that require specialized skills are beyond their reach, and many entry-level jobs are likely to be automated by 2022, so there’s an urgent need to redesign the state’s education and training systems to help people get the skills they need to secure family-supporting jobs. This brief—the first in a series—describes the challenges facing people in low-wage jobs and examines the shifts in relationships between employers, education and training providers, community agencies, and workers that will be required to keep up with the rapid pace of economic change and technological innovation.