The Broken Marketplace
Philanthropy

A pioneering study for a leading philanthropic group that reveals a school-to-work crisis

Challenge

Gen Z - a vital segment of America's emerging workforce - is encountering deep-seated roadblocks transitioning from education to employment. Despite broad ambition, many feel unsupported by schools, parents, and employers whose expectations are misaligned or outdated. This disconnect threatens both their individual futures and the stability of the U.S. workforce.​

5,700 voices

HarrisX and the Schultz Family Foundation conducted 5,700+ interviews with Gen Z (ages 16–24), parents, educators, and employers — one of the largest multi-stakeholder studies of its kind.

4 key audiences bridged

The research connected insights across young adults, parents, navigators/educators, and employers, exposing systemic mismatches in expectations and support.

Nationwide visibility

Findings generated national media headlines, elevating the school-to-work crisis as a top policy and business concern and driving actionable insights for leaders.

Approach

The Schultz Family Foundation, in collaboration with HarrisX, commissioned a landmark, multi‑stakeholder study involving over 5,700 interviews with young adults (ages 16–24),parents, educators, career professionals, and hiring managers. This first‑of‑its‑kind mixed‑methods research revealed gaps in guidance, mismatched expectations, and systemic inertia across institutions.​

Result

This was a groundbreaking study, the first of its scale to give Gen Z a national platform to express how systems are failing them. The findings made national headlines, drove news coverage, and put the school-to-work transition crisis on the map as a top policy and business concern. A website dedicated to the findings was also launched to make the learnings accessible to all. By surfacing the disconnect between young people, educators, and employers, the study not only highlighted a key issue shaping America’s future workforce, but also provided actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and businesses to close the gap. The national visibility ensured that the voices of Gen Z were no longer overlooked, cementing this research as a catalyst for conversation and reform.​

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