Local Synergy
Most communities have strong workforce organizations, funders, schools, and employers working in parallel.
What’s missing is a shared structure that aligns priorities and coordinates action without flattening what makes each partner effective.
A JobsFirst Local Driver fills that role. As a neutral, trusted workforce intermediary, Local Drivers hold the process for coordinated action across systems.
Alongside each Local Driver, JobsFirst supports a funder collaborative: a pooled investment vehicle that aligns philanthropic capital with community-identified priorities.
Together, they create the conditions for sustained progress:
- A clear structure for cross-sector coordination
- Pooled resources that minimize individual funder risk
- Sustained capital behind community-identified solutions
- Political will to drive policy change over time
“Tackling the issue of disconnected youth in Southern Nevada is crucial for both our region’s economy and the long-term success of our young people. We greatly value our partnership with JobsFirst NYC and the opportunity to collaborate with a workforce development intermediary to enhance our local efforts of connecting young adults to meaningful career pathways and economic prosperity.”
Jaime Cruz
Executive Director, Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board
Bold Solutions
JobsFirst brings a five-step process developed across nearly two decades of practice. Each Local Driver moves through it with workforce organizations, employers, schools, and community-based organizations.
“The Scranton Area Community Foundation is thrilled to partner with JobsFirst NYC, an organization that truly embodies the role of an effective workforce development intermediary. The foundation is committed to initiatives that enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve. Through CommunityINC, we will collaborate with JobsFirst NYC to create sustainable career pathways and advance economic mobility in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Laura Ducceschi
President and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation
Community Learning
Every Local Driver generates insight about what coordination structures hold, which solutions work, where policy needs to shift. That learning does not stay local.
JobsFirst captures and shares practitioner-driven insight across every site:
- Cities learn from one another across regions
- Proven solutions get the structure to scale
- Two decades of NYC practice inform what gets built next
The movement for economic mobility by design grows because the learning travels.
“[JobsFirst] is leading us and always taking our input into consideration instead of intervening… [they] help us hear from each other, find employer partners, and help us get the resources we need.”
JobsFirst Partner
Let’s Get to Work
JobsFirst is growing a national community of cities and regions committed to economic mobility for young adults. If your region is ready to move work, education, and community systems together, start here.
FAQ
JobsFirst brings a repeatable design for coordinating work, education, and community systems. Local Drivers hold the process for cross-sector coordination in their regions. JobsFirst provides the shared framework, tools, and learning that make sustained systems change possible.
A Local Driver is a neutral, trusted workforce intermediary that coordinates action across systems without flattening what makes each partner effective. Local Drivers are the engine of systems change in their cities and regions.
Alongside each Local Driver, JobsFirst supports a funder collaborative: a pooled investment vehicle that aligns philanthropic capital with community-identified priorities. Pooled resources minimize individual funder risk and sustain the capital needed to drive systems change over time.
Every Local Driver generates insight about what coordination structures hold, which solutions scale, and where policy needs to shift. JobsFirst captures and shares that practitioner-driven learning across every site so systems change in one city can inform what gets built next.
JobsFirst is growing a national community of cities and regions committed to economic mobility for young adults. If your region is ready to move work, education, and community systems together, reach out to request a partnership.