Year in Review: Policy and Advocacy at JFF

Convened Practitioner Task Force on Career Navigation:

Task Force for Modernizing Career Navigation Policy published its key policy considerations in the report ModernizingCareerNavigationinthe United States .

team kicked off 2022 by forming and convening a new task force of leading practitioners to develop policy recommendations for strengthening career services and navigational supports for workers, jobseekers, and students. The JFF Task Force for Modernizing Career Navigation Policy published its key policy considerations in the report ModernizingCareerNavigationinthe United States

Read the report

Convened Practitioner Task Force on Our Policy team kicked off 2022 by forming and convening a new task force of leading practitioners to develop policy recommendations for strengthening career services and navigational supports for workers, jobseekers, and students. The JFF Task Force for Modernizing Career Navigation Policy published its key policy considerations in the report ModernizingCareerNavigationinthe United States .

Aspartofourongoingeffortstokeeptrackofwhat’sworkingandwhatneedsto changeineducationandworkforcedevelopment,wedidthefollowingin2022:

Convened Practitioner Task Force on Career Navigation: Convened Practitioner Task Force on Our Policy team kicked off 2022 by forming and convening a new task force of leading practitioners to develop policy recommendations for strengthening career services and navigational supports for workers, jobseekers, and students. The JFF Task Force for Modernizing Career Navigation Policy published its key policy considerations in the report ModernizingCareerNavigationinthe United States

Read the report

Listen to the podcast

Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council:

Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: In partnership with the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), we held the inaugural meeting of the Workforce Transformation Policy Council, a select group of workforce development leaders who are working with JFF and NAWB to gather practitioner insights about policies that could help transform the nation’s workforce development system, especially with regard to the reauthorization and reform of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: In partnership with the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), we held the inaugural meeting of the Workforce Transformation Policy Council, a select group of workforce development leaders who are working with JFF and NAWB to gather practitioner insights about policies that could help transform the nation’s workforce development system, especially with regard to the reauthorization and reform of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Read our WIOA recommendations

Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: In partnership with the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), we held the inaugural meeting of the Workforce Transformation Policy Council, a select group of workforce development leaders who are working with JFF and NAWB to gather practitioner insights about policies that could help transform the nation’s workforce development system, especially with regard to the reauthorization and reform of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Read our WIOA recommendations

Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: Launched the Workforce Transformation Policy Council: In partnership with the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), we held the inaugural meeting of the Workforce Transformation Policy Council, a select group of workforce development leaders who are working with JFF and NAWB to gather practitioner insights about policies that could help transform the nation’s workforce development system, especially with regard to the reauthorization and reform of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Studied Racial and Gender Differences for Income Share

Studied Racial and Gender for Income Share

Studied Racial and Gender Differences for Income Share

DEVELOPING POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

In2022,wedrewon ﬁeldinsightsandevidencetorecommendfederalandstate policychangesforthefollowingcriticalissues:

DEVELOPING POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

In2022,wedrewon ﬁeldinsightsandevidencetorecommendfederalandstate policychangesforthefollowingcriticalissues:

Racial Equity in Pathways: Racial Equity in Pathways: In November, we released the JFF StatePolicy FrameworkforBuildingEquitablePathways, a resource for state policymakers and advocates on how policy can help close educational achievement gaps and disrupt occupational segregation while reinforcing pathways to economic advancement. Developed with input from the Building Equitable Pathways Community of Practice, the framework covers 12 state policy issues and serves as a resource for policymakers and advocates as they prepare for the 2023 legislative sessions.

Read the framework

Racial Equity in Pathways: Racial Equity in Pathways: In November, we released the JFF StatePolicy FrameworkforBuildingEquitablePathways, a resource for state policymakers and advocates on how policy can help close educational achievement gaps and disrupt occupational segregation while reinforcing pathways to economic advancement. Developed with input from the Building Equitable Pathways Community of Practice, the framework covers 12 state policy issues and serves as a resource for policymakers and advocates as they prepare for the 2023 legislative sessions.

Read the framework

Read more on BEP

Career and Technical Education: Career and Technical Education: In January, we published No Dead Ends: HowCareerandTechnicalEducationCanProvideToday’sYouthWith PathwaystoCollegeandCareerSuccess , a report debuting a new policy agenda designed to promote the inclusion of career exposure and preparation activities in all educational pathways. Authored by the JFF Policy Leadership Trust, the agenda discusses the critical role of career and technical education in helping young people develop their career identities.

Read the report

Career and Technical Education: Career and Technical Education: In January, we published No Dead Ends: HowCareerandTechnicalEducationCanProvideToday’sYouthWith PathwaystoCollegeandCareerSuccess , a report debuting a new policy agenda designed to promote the inclusion of career exposure and preparation activities in all educational pathways. Authored by the JFF Policy Leadership Trust, the agenda discusses the critical role of career and technical education in helping young people develop their career identities.

Read the report

Career and Technical Education: Career and Technical Education: In January, we published No Dead Ends: HowCareerandTechnicalEducationCanProvideToday’sYouthWith PathwaystoCollegeandCareerSuccess , a report debuting a new policy agenda designed to promote the inclusion of career exposure and preparation activities in all educational pathways. Authored by the JFF Policy Leadership Trust, the agenda discusses the critical role of career and technical education in helping young people develop their career identities.

Listen to the podcast

Listen

Read the blog

Career and Technical Education: Career and Technical Education: In January, we published No Dead Ends: HowCareerandTechnicalEducationCanProvideToday’sYouthWith PathwaystoCollegeandCareerSuccess , a report debuting a new policy agenda designed to promote the inclusion of career exposure and preparation activities in all educational pathways. Authored by the JFF Policy Leadership Trust, the agenda discusses the critical role of career and technical education in helping young people develop their career identities. Poverty Alleviation: Poverty Alleviation: Over the summer, we partnered with the American

Poverty Alleviation: Poverty Alleviation: Over the summer, we partnered with the American

Poverty Alleviation: Poverty Alleviation: Over the summer, we partnered with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) to recommend policy reforms to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to strengthen pathways out of poverty. In a recent blog co-authored with ASPHA, we offer actionable solutions and state-level examples for effectively aligning TANF and workforce development systems.

Read more on BEP

Poverty Alleviation: Poverty Alleviation: Over the summer, we partnered with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) to recommend policy reforms to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to strengthen pathways out of poverty. In a recent blog co-authored with ASPHA, we offer actionable solutions and state-level examples for effectively aligning TANF and workforce development systems.

Read the join statement

Read JFF's TANF recommendations

Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection: Over the past year, our Financing the Future team has worked with federal and state policymakers on proposals to clarify and strengthen the regulatory treatment of income share agreements (ISA). This step is necessary because, too often, it’s unclear which laws apply to ISAs and how ISA providers should comply with them. Moreover, the unique nature of ISAs creates new opportunities for policymakers to build a greater level of protection than what student loan borrowers experience.

Read the legislation summary

INFORMING POLICYMAKERS

Weengagedinthefollowingactivitiesaspartofourongoingeffortstoadvise policymakersintheirdeliberationsandeffortstodesignnewstrategies.

INFORMING POLICYMAKERS

Weengagedinthefollowingactivitiesaspartofourongoingeffortstoadvise policymakersintheirdeliberationsandeffortstodesignnewstrategies.

Site Visits for Congressional Staffers:

Site Visits for Congressional Staffers: In April, we held our ﬁrst in-person site visit for the JFF Congressional Staff Network for Economic Advancement (CSN) since the COVID-19 pandemic began. House and Senate legislative staffers joined us on a visit to the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia to learn how education, workforce, and economic development leaders collaborate to meet the talent needs of in-demand employers and ensure economic advancement for individuals and families in the community. The CSN’s second site visit took place in Boston and highlighted innovative training programs and promising efforts to address the city’s stark racial wealth gap.

Site Visits for Congressional Staffers: Site Visits for Congressional Staffers: In April, we held our ﬁrst in-person site visit for the JFF Congressional Staff Network for Economic Advancement (CSN) since the COVID-19 pandemic began. House and Senate legislative staffers joined us on a visit to the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia to learn how education, workforce, and economic development leaders collaborate to meet the talent needs of in-demand employers and ensure economic advancement for individuals and families in the community. The CSN’s second site visit took place in Boston and highlighted innovative training programs and promising efforts to address the city’s stark racial wealth gap.

Site Visits for Congressional Staffers: In April, we held our ﬁrst in-person site visit for the JFF Congressional Staff Network for Economic Advancement (CSN) since the COVID-19 pandemic began. House and Senate legislative staffers joined us on a visit to the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia to learn how education, workforce, and economic development leaders collaborate to meet the talent needs of in-demand employers and ensure economic advancement for individuals and families in the community. The CSN’s second site visit took place in Boston and highlighted innovative training programs and promising efforts to address the city’s stark racial wealth gap.

Learn more about the CSN

Executive Branch Cross-Agency Policy Forums

Executive Branch Cross-Agency Policy Forums : In the spring, we relaunched the JFF Executive Branch Network for Economic Advancement (EBN) and held the first EBN forum under the Biden administration, focusing on expanding access to in-demand jobs through high-quality apprenticeships. EBN activities include educational meetings and forums at which core senior executive branch officials meet with leading practitioners in the country’s learn and work ecosystem to discuss issues related to education, workforce development, and poverty alleviation in an informal, confidential environment.

Executive Branch Cross-Agency Policy Forums Executive Branch Cross-Agency Policy Forums : In the spring, we relaunched the JFF Executive Branch Network for Economic Advancement (EBN) and held the first EBN forum under the Biden administration, focusing on expanding access to in-demand jobs through high-quality apprenticeships. EBN activities include educational meetings and forums at which core senior executive branch officials meet with leading practitioners in the country’s learn and work ecosystem to discuss issues related to education, workforce development, and poverty alleviation in an informal, confidential environment.

Executive Branch Cross-Agency Policy Forums : In the spring, we relaunched the JFF Executive Branch Network for Economic Advancement (EBN) and held the first EBN forum under the Biden administration, focusing on expanding access to in-demand jobs through high-quality apprenticeships. EBN activities include educational meetings and forums at which core senior executive branch officials meet with leading practitioners in the country’s learn and work ecosystem to discuss issues related to education, workforce development, and poverty alleviation in an informal, confidential environment.

Testifying Before Congress:

Testifying Before Congress: Testifying Before Congress: In September, Deborah Kobes, interim vice president of the JFF Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning, presented testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Businesses Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development. She outlined the value of youth apprenticeship for small businesses, the challenges they face in implementation, and potential solutions.

Testifying Before Congress: In September, Deborah Kobes, interim vice president of the JFF Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning, presented testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Businesses Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development. She outlined the value of youth apprenticeship for small businesses, the challenges they face in implementation, and potential solutions.

Sector Strategies Policy Forum:

Sector Strategies Policy Forum: Sector Strategies Policy Forum: In October, the JFF Policy team convened its Executive Branch Network and Congressional Staff Network for two forums on evidence-based sector strategies, hosted in partnership with the National Skills Coalition. The conversations covered a range of issues, including how workforce systems can partner and pursue new federal investments such as those available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sector Strategies Policy Forum: In October, the JFF Policy team convened its Executive Branch Network and Congressional Staff Network for two forums on evidence-based sector strategies, hosted in partnership with the National Skills Coalition. The conversations covered a range of issues, including how workforce systems can partner and pursue new federal investments such as those available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

BUILDING MOMENTUM FOR CHANGE

Wejoinedforceswithpolicymakers,experts,andadvocatestoadvancethe conversationabouttransformingAmerica’seducationandworkforcesystems throughactivitieslikethese:

Learn more about the EBN

Read the testimony

Learn more about the CSN and EBN

Learn more about the EBN

Read the testimony

Learn more about the CSN and EBN

Learn more about the EBN

Read the testimony

Learn more about the CSN and EBN

LEADING THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION

Throughoutthisyear,weweighedinonvarioustopicsofnationalinterestinthe education,workforce,andeconomicpolicyarenas.Herearejustafewexamples:

Diving Into the Conversation: Diving Into the Throughout 2022, we remained at the forefront of critical national policy conversations, publishing a statement in August outlining recommendations for Congress following President Joe Biden’s announcement of a student loan debt cancellation proposal, and issuing another statement commending Biden’s October decision to pardon all prior federal marijuana possession offenses. And in a recent op-ed published in Fortune, JFF CEO Maria Flynn urged policymakers to embrace the rhetoric of economic mobility over economic security, especially given the platform on “good jobs” touted by many candidates during this year’s midterm elections.

Outcome-Based Financing: Outcome-Based Financing: The JFF Financing the Future (FTF) team has worked to improve accountability, access, affordability, and equity in our education and workforce training systems by highlighting outcome-based ﬁnancing solutions that are designed to ensure that student learners only pay for educational programs that lead to career success. FTF has authored a variety of blogs, op-eds, and reports this year on the role that these ﬁnancing solutions can play, focusing on topics such as how to “de-risk” postsecondary education, the evolution of regulatory treatment of ISAs, and how rigorous research coupled with clear and thoughtful protections can give these models a chance to prove their value.

Outcome-Based Financing: Outcome-Based Financing: The JFF Financing the Future (FTF) team has worked to improve accountability, access, affordability, and equity in our education and workforce training systems by highlighting outcome-based ﬁnancing solutions that are designed to ensure that student learners only pay for educational programs that lead to career success. FTF has authored a variety of blogs, op-eds, and reports this year on the role that these ﬁnancing solutions can play, focusing on topics such as how to “de-risk” postsecondary education, the evolution of regulatory treatment of ISAs, and how rigorous research coupled with clear and thoughtful protections can give these models a chance to prove their value

Learn more about Financing the Future

Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: This fall, JFF and American Student Assistance commissioned surveys of employers, Generation Z students, and policymakers for a report on innovative education-to-career pathways and another report on perceptions of funding for non-degree, career-connected programs. A survey of Washington, DC-based policymakers found broad support for the use of federal funds for non-degree career programs. According to the report based on that survey, Non-Degree Pathways:ADCInsider’sPerspective , a majority of those polled also said they would be in favor of an increase in legislative support for expanding such programs over the next ﬁve years, although they differed on approaches for ensuring the quality of the programs. In an October announcement of the

survey results, we detailed a 10-point policy plan for expanding non-degree pathways.

Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: This fall, JFF and American Student Assistance commissioned surveys of employers, Generation Z students, and policymakers for a report on innovative education-to-career pathways and another report on perceptions of funding for non-degree, career-connected programs. A survey of Washington, DC-based policymakers found broad support for the use of federal funds for non-degree career programs. According to the report based on that survey, Non-Degree Pathways:ADCInsider’sPerspective , a majority of those polled also said they would be in favor of an increase in legislative support for expanding such programs over the next ﬁve years, although they differed on approaches for ensuring the quality of the programs. In an October announcement of the survey results, we detailed a 10-point policy plan for expanding non-degree pathways.

Read more from JFF's blog

pathways and another report on perceptions of funding for non-degree, career-connected programs. A survey of Washington, DC-based policymakers found broad support for the use of federal funds for non-degree career programs. According to the report based on that survey, Non-Degree Pathways:ADCInsider’sPerspective , a majority of those polled also said they would be in favor of an increase in legislative support for expanding such programs over the next ﬁve years, although they differed on approaches for ensuring the quality of the programs. In an October announcement of the survey results, we detailed a 10-point policy plan expanding non-degree

Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: Policymakers on Non-Degree Programs: This fall, JFF and American Student Assistance commissioned surveys of employers, Generation Z students, and policymakers for a report on innovative education-to-career pathways and another report on perceptions of funding for non-degree, career-connected programs. A survey of Washington, DC-based policymakers found broad support for the use of federal funds for non-degree career programs. According to the report based on that survey, Non-Degree Pathways:ADCInsider’sPerspective , a majority of those polled also said they would be in favor of an increase in legislative support for expanding such programs over the next ﬁve years, although they differed on approaches for ensuring the quality of the programs. In an October announcement of the survey results, we detailed a 10-point policy plan for expanding non-degree pathways.

pathways and another report on perceptions of funding for non-degree, career-connected programs. A survey of Washington, DC-based policymakers found broad support for the use of federal funds for non-degree career programs. According to the report based on that survey, Non-Degree Pathways:ADCInsider’sPerspective , a majority of those polled also said they would be in favor of an increase in legislative support for expanding such programs over the next ﬁve years, although they differed on approaches for ensuring the quality of the programs. In an October announcement of the survey results, we detailed a 10-point policy plan for expanding non-degree pathways. Subscribe for More JFF Policy News Subscribe for email updates from the JFF Policy & Advocacy team.

Read the reports

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