Young adults reveal the health of NEPA’s economy.
Across Northeastern Pennsylvania, fragmented paths from school to work hold young adults back. Getting ahead depends on workarounds often beyond their reach. These barriers to economic mobility ripple across education, work, and community, slowing down a region built for momentum.
12,000
16- to 24-year-olds are out of school and out of work in NEPA.
Fragmented paths from school to work hold thousands of young people back.
51%
of young adults live in communities where local job markets fall short of demand.
Building pathways requires building opportunity where people already are.
$337,000
is the average lifetime earnings loss for a young adult who is out of school and out of work.
That loss multiplied across thousands of young people drains the regional economy.
From Fragmentation to Integration
In deep partnership with workforce organizations, educators, businesses, and philanthropic leaders across Northeastern Pennsylvania, we address root cause barriers to economic mobility for young adults and their communities.
Our Partners
Meet the leaders across workforce development, industry, education, government, and philanthropy building stronger talent pipelines in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Let’s Move in Sync for Young Adults and Their Communities
JobsFirst NEPA works with local partners to create clear, connected steps—so young adults and their communities can turn skills, interests, and ambition into real opportunity across the region.
Funding moves fast. Fragmented systems don’t. Without an integrated design, good investments get stuck in siloes. Your investment allows us to bring local partners into sync around young adult transitions, turning complex systems into clear steps with lasting results.
Talent pipelines are inconsistent and training rarely keeps pace with industry shifts. Successful models often stay isolated. We partner with employers, unions, and training providers to design scalable hiring, training, and advancement pathways that match our region.
Programs can only go so far when the systems supporting them run on separate tracks and unlinked frameworks. We mobilize local teams to co-design solutions that reflect and work in Northeastern Pennsylvania counties.
Without education and workforce system integration, the path from learning to work is uneven and confusing. We build partnerships across schools, training providers, businesses, and industries so young adults can move through transitions with clarity, support, and confidence.
Let’s Move Together, So Young Adults Move Further
Explore how JobsFirst NEPA can help your organization align with partners, maximize impact, and build clearer paths to economic mobility for young adults and their communities.