Community Colleges Emerge as Key Players in “Good Jobs Challenge”
The federally funded Good Jobs Challenge launched amid the pandemic with $500M in grants and a topline goal of helping 50K Americans break into jobs that were both in-demand and could sustain a family. It was one of the earliest in a series of initiatives by the Biden administration that have paired economic recovery for communities with economic advancement for individuals.
Now two years in, nearly 30K people have enrolled in job training through the Good Jobs Challenge, with 8,700 already placed into “good jobs.” According to data reported by the grantees, most are making at least $15 an hour—nearly double what the median wage was for participants before entering the program. Some are earning more than $40 an hour in industries like construction, IT, cybersecurity, and forestry.
