January 19, 2016 – Silver Spring, MD – JPMorgan Chase & Co. today announced a new $75 million, five-year global initiative to address the youth unemployment crisis and expand young peoples’ access to economic opportunity. With the global economy requiring a more skilled workforce, New Skills for Youth is designed to increase dramatically the number of young people who complete career pathways that begin in high school and end with postsecondary degrees or credentials aligned with high-wage, high-demand jobs.
One of the major component of the New Skills for Youth initiative is a state competition effort in which the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) are lead partners. Today, JPMorgan Chase, CCSSO and NASDCTEc have released the grant guidelines to a competition for states seeking to expand and improve their career education systems. Successful states will bring together education leaders, business partners and community partners to set ambitious goals for expanding access to and ensuring success in the preparation for careers in high-skill, high-wage jobs.
“We know firsthand that high-quality career-focused education can be a game changer for students and put them on a pathway to lifelong success,” said Kimberly Green, NASDCTEc Executive Director. “We are thrilled to be a part of JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills for Youth initiative, the largest private investment in high-quality CTE I’ve witnessed in my 20-plus years in the field. This infusion of resources and technical assistance has the potential to be transformative and ensure more students than ever before have access to quality programs that prepare them for the careers of their choice.”
More about the New Skills for Youth State Competition
In the spring of 2016, approximately 20-25 will be awarded $100,000 grants to for planning and early implementation of long-term career readiness education programs that align with the needs of area employers. In the fall of 2016, 10-15 states will be awarded between $1.5 million to $2 million, per state, over three years to implement and assess their demand-driven career and technical education programs. CCSSO, NASDCTEc and Education Strategy Group are partnering to develop key resources, technical assistance and supports to help states advance their systems to ensure all students have access to high-quality career-focused education that prepares them for success.
More information about applying for these grants is available here.
