The American talent landscape has reached a critical moment. Employers are competing for talent like never before, and workers are calling for training that secures and advances quality careers.

In the retail and service sectors in particular, developing opportunities for frontline talent is critical to staying competitive in industries where disruption is causing employers to reimagine talent strategies. Meanwhile, workers face a conundrum: relevant work experience is required for many jobs but is difficult or impossible to obtain without being in the workplace.

To address this challenge, we launched the first JFFLabs Acceleration cohort. This cohort is supported in partnership with JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning.

During the four-month program, cohort members received tailored support and opportunities uncommon among other startup accelerators. The companies worked with members of JFF and JFFLabs networks to develop and scale their solutions to new markets. Through this work, we aimed to demonstrate the value of each solution while providing immediate benefits to workers, employers, and system stakeholders.

Work-based learning ensures workers complete meaningful job tasks in a work environment where they can develop knowledge and skills that support entry or advancement in a particular career field.

At its best, work-based learning provides on-the-job opportunities and real-world experience that open career advancement pathways for low-income and lower-skilled workers, who all too often lack equitable access to high-quality training and work experiences.

For more on work-based learning, visit JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning.