Youth Employment & CTE Initiative
The Alexandria Youth Employment & Career Technical Education (CTE) Working Group began convening in 2024, bringing together more than 50 leaders from city government, Alexandria City Public Schools, local nonprofits, funders higher education institutions, and local and regional employers.
The goal was to better understand the support systems available to youth seeking fulfilling careers, meaningful employment opportunities, and brighter futures.
The Working Group’s Objectives include:
- Enhancing youth career readiness opportunities
- Streamlining resources by promoting cross-sector collaboration
- Addressing systemic barriers to create equitable opportunities for marginalized youth
- Developing a pipeline aligned with regional workforce needs
In 2025, the Working Group, with support from Flown Consulting, began a comprehensive listening and learning process, engaging nearly 200 stakeholders to understand what’s working, what’s missing, and what youth and families need to build strong futures.
This landscape analysis resulted in a map of Alexandria’s youth employment ecosystem, program directory and clear recommendations for moving forward.
In 2026, the Group launched an Action Planning Committee to drive priorities and implementation. Click below to learn more.
Building Pathways to Better Futures – Understanding Alexandria’s Youth Employment Ecosystem
Final Alexandria Ecosystem Map
In 2024, the Group met bi-weekly to identify critical challenges and opportunities within our current ecosystem. Drawing on best practices and insights from communities across the country, key findings were identified to more effectively support Alexandria’s young people.
Click below for a brief overview of that work and the report that documents our learning journey.
From Classroom to Career, Youth Employment and CTE Working Group Report
Youth Employment & CTE Working Group Report
Working Group Member Reflections
“What’s special about this group is the diversity of voices at the table and how open everyone is. Normally, people come to these spaces with their own agendas. But ACT sets a tone where every conversation centers on students and their future.” – Gaston Araoz, Dominion Energy
“As a member of the Youth Employment and CTE Working Group, the Workforce Development Center’s Youth Team has fostered valuable connections with community partners and employers. ACT plays a crucial role in uniting us to address shared challenges, enabling us all to more effectively support and serve the Alexandria community.” – Katrina Ashmore, Chief of Workforce Development, City of Alexandria
ACT’s role
For more than 20 years, ACT has served as a convener and catalyst for cross-sector collaboration. ACT’s ability to unite diverse voices around a shared vision has created lasting change on critical community issues. What makes Alexandria’s approach to youth employment unique is this unprecedented partnership between schools, city government, employers, nonprofit partners, funders, and most importantly, youth and families directly impacted. ACT’s goal is to ensure everyone has a seat at the table and a voice in sharing solutions.
For more information, please contact Brandi Yee at brandi.yee@actforalexandria.org