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Introduction to the Arizona Industry Leaders
Evolving technology and rapid innovation have created an industry boom in Arizona. With numerous leading corporations establishing operations in the region, there are more jobs available than ever before—but companies are struggling to fill these roles. Arizona needs an efficient and effective workforce development strategy to meet the urgent labor demands of its rapidly growing semiconductor, aerospace, and health industries. NAF is a leading national education nonprofit with a mission to prepare diverse talent for future ready careers. Partnerships with Arizona’s leading corporations will enable NAF to bring our singular educational design and its unparalleled outcomes to the rapidly developing Arizona workforce. In turn, NAF’s programs will build robust talent pipelines by developing interest and skills geared toward targeted industries—via a model that is among the most efficient and effective available.NAF is prepared to bring to bear our 40 years of experience as experts in work-based learning program design to create a custom workforce development solution for Arizona.
ABOUT NAF
INVESTING IN TOMORROW ’S LEADERS It’s often said that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. NAF envisions a world where all young people have equal opportunity for successful futures. The leaders of tomorrow are in high school today, yet persistent inequities in education, access, and opportunity at this critical age lead to significant disparities in long-term outcomes—especially for students of color and those who live in high-need communities. We combat education inequity through a transformative approach: NAF ACADEMIES
3- to 4-year, open enrollment academies within public high schools aligned with thriving industries. NAF Academies primarily focus on five primary career pathways—Engineering, Information Technology, Finance, Health Sciences, and Hospitality & Tourism—and high schools also adapt our design to create additional pathways that fit the industry n eed of a particular region. INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC CURRICULUM
Rigorous, career-focused curricula that expose students to real-world issues through connections with industry leaders. ADVISORY BOARDS
Business leaders who actively develop their workforce by shaping talent in high school and college through hands-on partnership with schools, teachers, and students. WORK-BASED LEARNING
Innovative in-person and tech-enabled opportunities that begin with career awareness activities, progress to career exploration, and conclude with career preparation activities like paid internships.
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NAF Academy of Engineering Students in
Washington, DC
In 2022-23, NAF reached 112,000+ students, representing a diverse population—26% identify as Black/African American; 45% identify as Hispanic/Latinx; and 46% identify as female. Our approach—which centers industry-relevant curricula and work-based learning—has resulted in transformative outcomes for over 560,000 students across hundreds of communities since NAF’s founding.
C U LT I VAT I N G C O M M U N I T Y P R O S P E R I T Y T H R O U G H C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R S H I P S NAF reimagines the future of education and the future of work to create and provide greater opportunity and access for the next generation. T hrough partnerships with business and industry leaders, NAF prepares students for dynamic careers, addresses workforce diversity and pipeline challenges, expands support to our network, and advances mutual priorities including access to diverse talent, focused corporate social responsibility, and impactful employee engagement programs. We partner with corporations on the national level, as well as industry leaders and business conglomerates who have an interest in building a workforce development pipeline in a particular region. Education that centers work-based learning creates strong regional infrastructure for gainful employment directly after high school and/or more focused post-secondary pursuits—thereby decreasing economic disparity and resulting in sustainable, thriving communities. Through our Community Impact initiative, NAF expands this infrastructure and works with local industry leaders to transform regional economies nationwide.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ARIZONA INDUSTRY LEADERS
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DR. CURTIS FINCH
Superintendent, Deer Valley Unified School District Speaking at NAF Next 2023 in Phoenix, AZ
NAF’S TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT IN 2023
99%
OF SENIORS GRADUATED
88% OF GRADUATES ARE COLLEGE BOUND
62%
OF STUDENTS COMPLETED INTERNSHIPS DURING THE PANDEMIC
67% OF STUDENTS ARE FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS
80%
OF STUDENTS ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR
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N A F X A R I Z O N A PA R T N E R S H I P O P P O R T U N I T Y NAF envisions a large-scale, long-term partnership with the Arizona business community that—through a concerted regional expansion effort—addresses the aforementioned labor challenges through the following strategies: SHORT-TERM (IMMEDIATE): ACCESS TO NAF ALUMNI BASE
We can immediately engage NAF Alumni in Arizona and adjacent regions (CA, NM, NV), who have graduated prepared for jobs in fields like Engineering and IT. NAF currently has an addressable network of 76,000+ alumni nationwide; 45,500+ of these individuals are college-aged, and 15,000+ are young professionals. By reaching these individuals at the beginning of their professional journeys, we can recruit them to successful careers in the identified fields of need. MID-TERM (1-2 YEARS): TECH-ENABLEMENT
We will use tech-enabled strategies that allow NAF to scale our programming in a dramatic and efficient way. For example, KnoPro is NAF’s new 100% free digital platform for high school students anywhere in the U.S. to complete real-world “virtual internship projects” backed by leading companies, build their skills and resumes, and compete for large cash prizes monthly. We can offer custom KnoPro Challenges to every student in Arizona and surrounding areas, as well as nationally, regardless of NAF affiliation. Through KnoPro and other digital approaches such as virtual trainings and events, we will develop, curate, and deploy industry-specific curricula to prepare students for available jobs. LONG-TERM (3-10+ YEARS): NAF ACADEMIES ACROSS ARIZONA
Activating our proven Academy Development process, we can engage existing NAF Academies, both in AZ and adjacent regions in CA, NM, and NV, and establish new NAF Academies, starting with existing Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs where we can fast-track academy development. NAF currently has approximately 7 academies in these regions combined, serving 1,800 students.
Through the outlined partnership activities, NAF projects we can reach 139,000 graduates by 2034.
INVESTMENT Achieving the outlined vision will require a unified, comprehensive investment from industry leaders in Arizona. Over the next 10 years, Arizona corporate partners can collectively solve this problem with an aggregate investment of $120M. While significant, this investment is less than the cost of letting these positions go unfilled. NAF currently envisions three tiers of involvement—though all partnership opportunities will be tailored to fit the unique needs of each organization: FOUNDATIONAL PARTNER
Champions of transformative change, Foundational Partners will take a leadership role in shaping the workforce and therefore the future of the industry. This “all in” partnership encompasses extensive activation opportunities and puts partners at this level at the front of the line to access emerging talent. NAF will work with Foundational Partners to create a direct pathway for top talent from high school to these specific corporations. Foundational Partners will receive all benefits of below levels, as well as opportunities for a high level of engagement with NAF itself, such as through Board service. Investment: $20M over 10 years INNOVATING PARTNER
Committed to long-term investment and sustainable growth, Innovating Partners participate in laying the groundwork for a changing workforce, participating in career awareness and readiness activities, and promoting their brands, achievements, and values to the next generation of future ready employees. Partnership involves creation of content for industry-specific curricula and Challenges, alumni engagement, advisory board participation, and more. Investment: $12M over 10 years COLL ABOR ATING PARTNER
Invested in being a part of the solution to this complex issue, Collaborating Partners work together to sponsor events, programs, and activities that will introduce youth into an ever-growing talent pool. Investment: $7M over 10 years
In order to commit to the outlined activities, and subsequently accomplish our mutual vision, the full $120M investment must be identified and committed. We imagine numerous companies working together to meet this ambitious goal. The simplest way to meet our goal is to recruit 6 Foundational Partners. However, we anticipate corporations will have varying capacities for involvement and investment, making a combination of Foundational Partners, Innovating Partners, and Collaborating Partners more likely and equally effective. To guide this newly formed group of partners, we will establish a long-term committee to review benchmarks, evaluate outcomes, and reflect on impact both within partner organizations and on NAF’s constituency. This committee will include Foundational and Innovating Partners, and will meet quarterly, with annual stakeholder presentations to the full group of partners.
NAF Academy Students in
Detroit, MI Compton, CA New York City, NY
INTRODUCTION TO THE ARIZONA INDUSTRY LEADERS
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Arizona is poised for economic growth. NAF has a proven track record and strong foundation to prepare youth for lucrative, future ready careers. Through partnerships with committed, passionate industry leaders, we are ready to build on that foundation in Arizona.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR W O R K , V I S I T N A F. O R G F O L LO W U S @ N A F C A R E E R AC A D S
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