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An initiative to bolster efforts in six Midwest states to help working-age adults who need to expand their skills.

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Employment Program Staff
Whitney Smith
Matthew Muench
Alyson Koblas

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Employment

Skill-building programs can empower students with the basic and technical skills needed for new, better-paying jobs that can transform their lives and support their families. The Joyce Foundation works to improve workforce development and education systems to help underprepared adults learn important skills, earn credentials and pursue jobs in their communities.

Our Approach

Basic Foundational Skills

Adults who need basic literacy, math, technology, and problem solving skills learn best when the material is relevant their careers. The Joyce Foundation Employment Program supports preparing adults with the skills required for jobs in today’s market. In particular, the Foundation supports the evaluation and expansion of promising adult education programs that prepare people for post-secondary education and careers. Learn More.

Industry Training Partnerships

Training is most valuable when it leads directly to an available job. By promoting industry training partnerships, the Joyce Foundation works to ensure training aligns with local job opportunities. Specifically, the Foundation supports expanding partnerships between industry associations or groups of businesses and educational organizations to create and promote career advancement opportunities.

Grants encourage development and promotion of industry-recognized credentials that help low-skilled workers advance in the labor market. The Foundation also supports research into the return on investment relating to employer-sponsored skill development programs. Learn More.

Innovation

Some adult education and training challenges demand new thinking; some promising new solutions need further development. That’s why the Joyce Foundation supports efforts to find and test new approaches that promise to dramatically improve the field. This effort champions new programs, technologies, or policies that improve the quality of, expand access to, and lower the cost of education and training. Learn More.