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JFFLabs

JFFLabs

Driving innovation through insights, incubation, and investment.
Where big ideas launch and scale for big impact on the future of work and learning.

New technologies and models are radically transforming our workforce and education systems. These shifts create opportunity but also risk reinforcing systemic inequities. Promising solutions that maximize learner opportunity can face significant hurdles in expanding and scaling to make their work accessible.

JFFLabs is the innovation lab of Jobs for the Future, providing the infrastructure to bring solutions from ideation to national-scale social impact. Our proven model provides market analysis, identifies trends, and invests in promising innovators so transformative solutions that drive equitable economic advancement are created, tested, and scaled.

Key Initiatives

Insights

We help leaders understand and prepare for the emerging trends, technologies, and innovations shaping the future of work and learning. Learn more 

Incubation

We provide strategic guidance to visionaries, entrepreneurs, and businesses to co-design and scale their solutions. Learn more. Learn more

Investments

With investments and grants through JFFVentures, we support entrepreneurs building solutions and businesses with the potential to improve economic advancement for workers.
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News & Ideas
Press Release Jobs for the Future Launches New Center for Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work
JFF's new center will play an integral role in its newly announced North Star goal to help 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement work in quality jobs in the next 10 years.
Blog JFFLabs Announces Incubated Practices: Climate Innovation and Lifelong Learning
Five years ago, Jobs for the Future (JFF) made a bold bet on the future of work and learning. We considered key questions posed by our partners across the field, the strength of our partnerships, and our own skills and expertise, and launched JFFLabs on a new and exciting premise: that the learn-and-work ecosystem was ready for powerful transformation that infused work and learning with technology, new models, and capital.
Blog A Lab for the Moonshot of Our Time
As many of you know, this year’s Shift Forum is the second annual gathering of leaders convening to address big issues we won’t have a second chance to solve. If last year’s event symbolized a collective recognition of the problems we face, this year marks a shared commitment to move the needle in addressing them. Key pillars include business transformation, politics and policy, and the future of work.
Video Horizons: On the Record Episode 4–Part 2, Growing Green Jobs
We’re all feeling the impacts of climate change—some of us have faced extreme weather firsthand, while others are reading grim headlines every day. But climate resilience is within reach if we build a green economy. To do that, we need new training programs where workers can learn the skills, they will need for well-paid green jobs in the years to come.
Featured Practices

Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work

Shaping AI’s impact on skills development, job quality, and equitable outcomes.

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CLIMATE INNOVATION

Mobilizing partners toward a climate-resilient workforce.

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Lifelong Learning

Mapping learning to work across systems, businesses, and education and training providers.

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ENTREPRENEUR INCUBATION

Working with mission-aligned entrepreneurs and companies to incubate new models and technology-based solutions.

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Impact Stories
How a Small Lab is Building a Big Thing
Rapid social and economic changes are remaking the American workplace in ways few imagined a short time ago. It’s no surprise that our learning systems can’t keep up and that employers can’t find the skilled workers they need. To resolve this critical tension, JFF last year launched JFFLabs to bridge the traditional education and workforce systems with innovative approaches and technology-enabled solutions.
Education Quality Outcomes Standards
The EQOS Quality Assurance Framework helps learners and workers, education institutions and postsecondary training providers, private investors, governments, and others identify high-quality opportunities that lead to equitable economic advancement.
The Future of Work Grand Challenge
Engaging with the U.S. workforce system to create and scale pilots of winning solutions through partnerships with future-focused workforce boards.
Leadership
Kristina Francis, Executive Director, JFFLabs
Kristina Francis is executive director of JFFLabs. She oversees advisory, acceleration, data, and investing initiatives that connect traditional systems with systems disruptors to enable equitable economic advancement.
Tabitha Manross, Chief of Staff, JFFLabs
Tabitha Manross is chief of staff at JFFLabs, the innovation lab of Jobs for the Future. A member of the JFFLabs team, she partners with that unit’s leadership to develop and drive strategic initiatives that foster innovative solutions in education and workforce systems.
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JFFLabs and our network of expert partners are available to help with strategic guidance, market analysis, idea acceleration, and more. Contact us to learn more about how you can partner with us or support our work, and subscribe for updates.
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