JFF's Rework America Alliance Promotes Equitable Career Coaching Practices

Jobs for the Future (JFF) is transforming workforce systems through the Rework America Alliance (RAA), whose resources and programs have played key roles in training nearly 200 career coaches in a skills-based, human-centered, and equity-driven approach to career navigation.??

Based in five cities, the 32 organizations that have used RAA resources and programs to train coaches say adopting equitable career coaching practices benefits the jobseekers they serve. For example, Urban League of Louisiana reported that “offering the skills-based resume to our clients shows them a new way to market themselves to employers in a demanding job market . . . [and shows them] that they can indeed compete, that they are qualified with the skills they can bring to an organization.” And MiSide Community Impact Network said, “When our clients realize their skills have value, we see a mindset shift. Our people apply for jobs they normally wouldn’t. They gain agency.”

These tools build our brand. -Goodwill of Southern California

Organizations also said that offering RAA resources and programs improves their ability to engage with clients. “These tools build our brand,” Goodwill of Southern California said in a statement. “Using them gives the jobseekers confidence that we can get them what they need.”?

The return on investment from adopting skills-based processes—for both hiring employees and offering career services to clients—extends beyond jobseeker impact. SERJobs said in a statement that it witnessed “many indirect benefits of launching the skills-based coach training. Even our onboarding and orientation was refined through this process, through a human-centered lens.”?And Concilio reported that “[RAA] resources helped our ability to scale as needed. This ensures we remain relevant and impactful.” ?

These efforts, in part, have built the foundation for sustained skills-based practices within RAA partner organizations, the cities they serve, and the broader RAA network. The successes of the organizations in this cohort and the lessons they’ve shared are influencing future initiatives. One bright example: While visiting Philadelphia, the Concilio team helped launch the National Urban League’s five-city cohort.??

?A huge thank you to our partners, UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS) , National Urban League , Goodwill Industries International , and 摩根大通 We could not do this without you.??