New Skills for Youth

New Skills for Youth

In January 2016, JPMorgan Chase & Co. launched New Skills for Youth, a $75 million, five-year initiative, aimed at strengthening career-focused education, starting in high school and ending with postsecondary degrees or credentials aligned with high-skill jobs.

As part of this initiative, JPMorgan Chase, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group (ESG) have partnered on a multi-year state competition to:

  • Dramatically increase the number of students in the U.S. who successfully complete career pathways that begin in secondary school and culminate in postsecondary degrees and/or industry credentials with labor market value;  and

  • Catalyze transformational approaches to the design and implementation of programs and policies to increase students’ career readiness in a cohort of leading states and disseminate lessons learned to the rest of the country.

In March 2016, 24 states and Washington, D.C. secured Phase One New Skills for Youth grants. These selected states have each received a $100,000 six-month grant, in addition to expert technical assistance and peer support from other grantees, to perform a diagnostic assessment of their career preparation system and prepare for implementation of a three-year action plan.

An independent advisory committee recommended Phase One grant recipients after a rigorous review process that considered states’ proposed plans, cross-sector partnerships, and demonstrated commitment and capacity to transform their systems of career preparation according to the grant guidelines.

States selected in Phase One had the opportunity to apply for Phase Two grants. Through the second phase, 10 states received $2 million grants each over three years to implement and assess their demand-driven Career Technical Education programs. Phase Two grants to Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wisconsin were awarded in January 2017.

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