Building Equitable Pathways
Goals
This work, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to provide youth with the information and support they need to make informed choices for their futures—especially young people who have too often been denied access to these key resources. The goal is to dramatically increase the number of young people, ages 14 to 24, who are Black, Latinx, or experiencing poverty, who have the agency, social capital, skills, and credentials needed to thrive in the workforce and in life. A deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion stands at the heart of this initiative.
Amy Loyd, Vice President, JFFWe must equip all young people with the tools to move seamlessly from education to careers. JFF is thrilled . . . to lead this work to strengthen national systems of high-quality college and career pathways for youth who are Black, Latinx, and experiencing poverty.
JFF is working with seven intermediary organizations to share, co-create, improve upon, and codify best practices and exciting innovations in the role of intermediary organizations focused on building equitable pathways.
Our co-leads, Equal Measure, Mission Minded, and Square Button, are providing the intermediaries with high-quality expert support in evaluation, communication, and sustainability planning, respectively. Equal Measure strengthens how organizations design, implement, evaluate, and communicate the program, policy, and systems change they seek. Mission Minded is a branding firm that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations to uncover the big, bold idea that will attract more people to their work. Square Button draws on its operational and project management expertise to help organizations build and grow to their full potential.
Partners
JFF is leading and learning with seven intermediary organizations across the country that serve diverse youth.
The seven intermediary organizations involved in this initiative are working to strengthen national systems of high-quality college and career pathways to better serve young people who are Black, Latinx, and experiencing poverty.
Intermediaries are critical to the cross-sector collaboration required for building systems and scaling work-based learning. They play a key role in bringing together leaders in K-12 and postsecondary education, industry, and government to forge partnerships, craft strategies, and source funding to develop college and career pathways.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis is to enable all young people, especially those who need the organization most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis created its Juice Plus+ Technical Training Center to train hardworking youth and place them in part-time jobs, and to help graduates move into productive careers.

Brooklyn STEAM Center
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn STEAM Center
Brooklyn, New York
The Brooklyn STEAM Center is an innovative training hub for 11th and 12th grade students that immerses career preparation within a work environment to prepare talented young adults to thrive in the rapidly evolving manufacturing, technology, and creative fields. Launched by the NYC Department of Education and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, STEAM serves a socioeconomically and academically diverse group of predominantly Black and Latinx youth.

Career Connect Washington
Washington State

Career Connect Washington
Washington State
Career Connect Washington envisions a future in which every young adult in the state of Washington will have multiple pathways toward economic self-sufficiency and fulfillment, strengthened by a comprehensive statewide system for career-connected learning. Created in 2019 by an act of the state legislature, Career Connect Washington has an ambitious 10-year goal that calls for 60 percent of high school seniors to choose its Career Launch program as a path to college and career.

CareerWise Colorado
Colorado

CareerWise Colorado
Colorado
CareerWise Colorado creates opportunities for young people and businesses across Colorado by developing and supporting an innovative, sustainable modern youth apprenticeship program. Through the Building Equitable Pathways initiative, CareerWise Colorado seeks to refine its model and to develop key practices, processes, and tools that enable and support successful youth apprenticeships.

HERE to HERE
Bronx, New York

HERE to HERE
Bronx, New York
HERE to HERE believes in building a thriving, inclusive economy, in the Bronx and elsewhere, driven by meaningful partnerships between young people and employers. HERE to HERE’s goal is to enhance pathways to rewarding careers for young people by uniting employers, educators, and community-based organizations, beginning in the Bronx and elsewhere in New York City.

Rush Education and Career Hub
Chicago, Illinois

Rush Education and Career Hub
Chicago, Illinois
The Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) was founded on the idea that opportunities, readiness, and educational attainment can decrease health disparities and improve lives. RUSH helps to build stronger and healthier communities by improving equity and access to work-based learning experiences, increasing young people’s interest in STEM and health care careers, strengthening students’ academic readiness, and providing wraparound supports to youth and families.

YouthForce NOLA
New Orleans, Louisiana

YouthForce NOLA
New Orleans, Louisiana
YouthForce NOLA is a New Orleans-based education, business, and civic collaborative that improves economic opportunity for young people of color and from low-income families by building bridges between school and high-wage careers. Through the Building Equitable Pathways initiative, YouthForce NOLA is codifying and expanding its model for place-based career pathways and intermediary supports that connect and align educators, employers, training providers, and community organizations.
Key Hypotheses
The six hypotheses listed below were created to guide the development of pathways that equitably support all young people, especially youth of color and youth who are experiencing poverty, in building rewarding and fruitful futures.
The Building Equitable Pathways intermediary partners committed to testing the six hypotheses in their work. Though none of the intermediaries fully built out all six hypotheses during the first year of this work, each provides a useful example of how the hypotheses work in the real world.

K-12 Partnerships
Strong partnership and alignment with local K-12 schools and districts

Postsecondary Partnerships
Strong partnership and alignment with local postsecondary institutions

Alignment with Labor Market Demands
Articulated paths aligned to local labor market demands

Employer Partnerships
Strong partnership with the local employer community to advance opportunities for work-based learning

Sustainability
Sustainable business model

Policy
Policy agenda and supporting strategies