Young Adults Are a Critical Sign of Economic Health
When work, education, and community fall out of alignment, young adults feel it first. Economic opportunity is interrupted by systemic gaps they are expected to navigate. This fragmented infrastructure slows everyone down.
4.3M+
young adults out of school and work in the United States.
1M+
young adults are working, but underemployed.
4 in 5
hiring managers say high school graduates are underprepared for the workforce.
A Proven Process for Investment in Local Communities
JobsFirst equips cities and regions to coordinate work, education, and community systems.
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JobsFirst NYC
Learn More: Sector NetworksSector Networks
JobsFirst NYC’s Sector Networks, an expansion of our Young Adult Sectoral Employment Project (YASEP), are citywide workforce development partnerships in three New York City growth industries: the green economy, healthcare, and technology. The networks strengthen collaboration…
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JobsFirst NEPALearn More: Healthcare Sector Network (Anchors for Equity)
Healthcare Sector Network (Anchors for Equity)
A partnership to improve skills training, leverage knowledge and resources, and increase access to careers in the healthcare industry in NEPA.
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JobsFirst
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JobsFirstLearn More: The NEPA Workforce Funder Collaborative
The NEPA Workforce Funder Collaborative
A 2019 Workforce Strategy Group study revealed a critical missing link: NEPA lacked permanent workforce intermediary infrastructure.
Local Drivers Are Building Stronger Pathways—See Their Progress
JobsFirst Local Drivers use a shared process to incubate and scale solutions. Each site strengthens the system. Coordinated investment produces outcomes that are visible, measurable, and repeatable.
By 2030:
65
Solutions Advanced
Local Drivers incubate and advance models that replace barriers with paths to employment.
750+
Local Partners Aligned
Workforce, education, government, and philanthropy using a shared framework.
50,000
Young Adults Realizing Economic Mobility
Each new Local Driver increases coherence and durability across cities and regions.
Latest
See research and insights from cities and regions designing for young adults.
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JobsFirst NYCRead More: From Launch to Shared Leadership: River Alliance for Youth (RAY) Builds Momentum in NYC Council District 8From Launch to Shared Leadership: River Alliance for Youth (RAY) Builds Momentum in NYC Council District 8
The River Alliance for Youth (RAY) connects young adults in New York City Council District 8 to education, employment, and long-term stability through a community-driven partnership across sectors. JobsFirst NYC and local partners launched RAY in…
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JobsFirst NYCRead More: Learning Briefs: The Sector NetworksLearning Briefs: The Sector Networks
Insights from Three Years of Implementing Sectoral Employment Solutions for Economic Mobility The Green Economy Network, Healthcare Sector Network, Tech Sector Network, and JobsFirst NYC have been designing, refining, and implementing citywide sectoral employment partnerships across…
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JobsFirst NYCRead More: The Sector Connector: Your May Work Solutions UpdateThe Sector Connector: Your May Work Solutions Update
This is a space dedicated to sharing updates from the Green Economy, Healthcare, and Tech Networks; relaying program openings and recruitment opportunities; and fostering cross-network collaboration. In April, the Green Economy Network kicked off its first-ever Clean…
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Invest in the Movement
Invest in the infrastructure that helps cities and regions align their systems, so they can deliver better results for young adults and their communities.
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Start a conversation about what’s possible for your city or region when work, education, and community systems align.
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FAQ
JobsFirst brings a repeatable design for coordinating work, education, and community systems. Rather than adding new programs, we build the infrastructure that lets existing workforce innovation travel: from one city to the next, from one sector to all of them.
When systems align around young adults, workforce innovation produces real outcomes. More than 50,000 young adults are on clearer paths to economic mobility. More than 750 local partners are coordinating through a shared framework built for lasting progress.
JobsFirst partners with Local Drivers, funder collaboratives, employers, schools, workforce organizations, and community-based organizations. Together, they turn workforce innovation from isolated pilots into coordinated, scalable progress across cities and regions.
Every Local Driver generates practitioner-driven insight about what works. JobsFirst captures that learning and shares it across every site. Workforce innovation that takes hold in one city builds the foundation for what gets designed next.
JobsFirst provides funders a clear, proven way to co-invest in local progress. Through local funder collaboratives, philanthropic capital aligns with community-identified priorities. Every dollar strengthens clear paths for young adults across cities and regions.