Jobs for the Future (JFF) hosts an annual summit featuring the biggest names in education, business, activism, and philanthropy, plus first-generation students, Gen Z innovators, English-language learners, and learners and workers in search of their own opportunities for equitable economic advancement. The ASU College of Global Futures Lifelong Learning team and partner Baltu Technologies attended the conference as part of the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge, a multiyear CREST initiative led by JFF that will directly invest nearly $5 million in U.S. communities to develop regional quality green job strategies.
The 2-day gathering provided opportunities for attendees to connect in person, learn something new, and form new relationships to help transform their local workforce development landscape to support equitable economic advancement for all.
The theme of this year's conference was "The Power of Us," which according to JFF means:
-All of us are at the table. That means bold leaders, bipartisan policymakers, big thinkers from top companies, Gen Z learners and innovators at the start of their careers, people who are often systemically excluded from education and the workforce, and people who can share first-hand experiences of navigating our systems.
-We center our commonality, not our divisions. We hear from people from all walks of life and from both sides of the aisle, centering a person-first experience that allows us to listen and learn from each other.
-We break down the silos that separate practitioners from policymakers, and corporations from communities. We commit to a future that is equity-centered and data-informed. We agree to take big, bold action to solve our biggest problems—together.
-We make recommendations guided by our North Star: In 10 years, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.
We celebrate and leverage the common thread that connects all of us: a dedication to creating a better life for the nation’s learners and workers. That’s The Power of Us: identifying our common goals, and committing to collaboration toward big, meaningful systems change and equitable economic advancement for all.
Some highlights of the conference include the inspiring opening remarks by JFF President & CEO Maria Flynn, the "Good, Green Jobs" session focused on climate and sustainability-related workforce development, and the day 1 reception and live musical performance.
Horizons 2025 will be hosted in New Orleans; to learn more visit horizons.jff.org.