The U.S. Department of Education has announced Gladeo as the grand-prize winner and Workbay as the runner-up of the $1 million Future Finder Challenge to reimagine career navigation for adult learners. Dr. Amy Loyd, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, named the challenge winners in a video announcement. The Gladeo team will receive an additional $500,000 and the Workbay team an additional $250,000 to support the continued development and deployment of their digital career navigation tools.
Gladeo utilizes research-based design to help adult learners build skills and confidence for quality careers. Its multilingual interventions include digitized informational interviews, personalized resource recommendations, and an integrated program finder. Workbay offers job seekers a community-specific mobile app and web-based platform that connects them to local resources as well as videos, learning content, and job postings. Workbay links recruitment with skill-building programs to help learners identify and successfully pursue local careers of interest.
The Department launched the Future Finder Challenge in September 2022, inviting innovators to submit prototypes for digital career navigation tools that will help adult learners understand, choose, and prepare for career opportunities. Through the challenge, the Department is working to provide adult learners with access to the same caliber of career navigation support as other job seekers. That access will allow learners to take full advantage of the high-paying jobs being made available through the CHIPS and Science Act, the bipartisan Investing in Infrastructure Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Future Finder Challenge will support the winning teams throughout the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.
Learn more about the winning teams and subscribe to the challenge newsletter for updates as the teams deploy their solutions.