CareerWise USA
CareerWise USA is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs and operates youth apprenticeship programs connecting high school students with employers across healthcare, advanced manufacturing, tech, and skilled trades, anchored by its Hub Platform technology and a national coalition spanning 35+ states and 80+ intermediary partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CareerWise USA does
CareerWise USA is a Denver-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 by Noel Ginsburg to design, launch, and operate youth apprenticeship programs for high school students. The organization runs gold-standard earn-and-learn pathways that connect students ages 16-26 with employers across sectors including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, aerospace, and technology; it serves five primary constituents — employers (its primary commercial segment), public sector leaders, educators, students, and nonprofit/workforce intermediaries — across direct-implementation markets in Colorado and New York City plus affiliate programs in Washington D.C., Buffalo, and Elkhart County, Indiana, and 80+ intermediary partners across 35+ states.
The operating core is a portfolio of program infrastructure and a technology backbone. Direct products include Apprenticeship & Career Accelerators, Education To Career Pathways, and Consulting Services. The proprietary Hub Platform is a centralized system that gives employers, educators, and apprentices shared tools to recruit, train, and track outcomes. Major initiatives include the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center (a USDOL-funded national hub with 10 cohort states), the Education Apprenticeship Accelerator (paid teacher degree apprenticeships), and US CEMETS (state-industry coalition mobilization). Reported outcomes include 5M+ students reached across 34 states, 2,600+ apprentices served, 100% post-program placement into job and/or postsecondary enrollment, 84% employed alumni, and a $28/hour average wage.
The revenue model is grant- and contract-driven rather than commercial. CareerWise has unlocked $40M+ in cumulative grants and federal funding, anchored by a $12.5M USDOL cooperative agreement and an $8.8M subaward, and generates management/advisory revenue through consulting engagements. The organization has catalyzed $145M in partner business investment directed at apprentice hiring, though this flows to employer participants rather than to CareerWise. Distribution is hybrid: direct program implementation in Colorado and NYC, affiliate/reseller channel partnerships for DC/Buffalo/Elkhart, and a federated intermediary network in 35+ states; marketing is community-led through coalitions, research publications, and student success storytelling rather than paid acquisition.
CareerWise USA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CareerWise USA
- Legal name
- CareerWise USA
- Website
- https://careerwiseusa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CareerWise USA is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs and operates youth apprenticeship programs connecting high school students with employers across healthcare, advanced manufacturing, tech, and skilled trades, anchored by its Hub Platform technology and a national coalition spanning 35+ states and 80+ intermediary partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CareerWise USA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Internship-to-Apprenticeship & Early Talent Pipeline Programs (EDAMAKAL), Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning (EDAAAOAC)
Keywords
Where CareerWise USA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
CareerWise USA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grants and Federal Funding: CareerWise has unlocked $40M+ in grants and federal funding, including federal program funding from the U.S. Department of Labor through the $12.5 million Future Ready Apprenticeship Center program.
- Business Investment: The organization has generated $145M in business investment aimed at building a pipeline of future talent through apprenticeship programs.
- Consulting Services: Partner with CareerWise team to design, launch, and scale apprenticeship programs tailored to community or industry needs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
CareerWise USA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CareerWise USA designs and operates youth apprenticeship programs that enable high school students (ages 16-26) to earn wages while gaining industry-recognized credentials through on-the-job training and classroom instruction. The organization provides a technology platform (The Hub) for managing apprenticeship recruitment, training, and tracking, and delivers consulting services to states, employers, and communities to design, launch, and scale apprenticeship ecosystems.
Product overview
CareerWise USA offers a portfolio of workforce development products and services centered on youth apprenticeship. The core offering consists of The Hub Platform (a technology platform for recruitment, training, and tracking) combined with Apprenticeship & Career Accelerators and Education To Career Pathways programs. These are complemented by Consulting Services for organizations wanting to build their own programs. Major initiatives include the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center (a national hub for expanding youth apprenticeship, funded by USDOL), the Education Apprenticeship Accelerator, and US CEMETS. CareerWise operates through regional affiliates including CareerWise Colorado (the flagship program with ~2,500 apprentices), CareerWise DC, CareerWise Buffalo, and CareerWise Elkhart County.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Future Ready Apprenticeship Center: A national hub dedicated to expanding registered apprenticeship opportunities for youth, powered by CareerWise and supported by a cooperative agreement between the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Education Apprenticeship Accelerator
- US CEMETS
- The Hub Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 5M+ students reached across 34 states
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use CareerWise USA
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CareerWise USA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
CareerWise USA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ABBcoreABB joined Siemens Foundation as Co-Chair of the Careers Electric national coalition to develop a skilled electrical workforce. ABB committed $1 million over two years to support the initiative, which aims to train 25,000 people over its first 10 years.
- Amazon Web ServicescoreFounding partner of the Careers Electric national coalition to develop skilled electrical workforce in the United States.
- Duke EnergycoreFounding partner of the Careers Electric national coalition committed to developing skilled electrical workforce.
- JetZerocoreFounding partner of the Careers Electric national coalition to develop skilled electrical workforce.
- Hitachi EnergycoreFounding partner of the Careers Electric national coalition committed to workforce development in electrical sector.
- NC Electric CooperativescoreFounding partner of the Careers Electric national coalition for electrical workforce development.
- SiemenscoreFounding partner and Co-Chair of the Careers Electric coalition alongside ABB, working to develop skilled electrical workforce.
- Colorado Department of Labor and EmploymentcorePartner powering the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center alongside CareerWise. Provides expertise through the Cooperative Agreement with USDOL and mentoring peer states.
- Jobs for the Future (JFF)majorContracted partner providing systems-level expertise to the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center.
- Urban InstitutemajorContracted partner providing research and technical assistance to the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center.
- New AmericamajorContracted partner providing policy expertise and research to the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR)majorContracted partner providing evaluation and technical assistance to the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center.
- Upskill America (Aspen Institute)majorContracted partner providing expertise to the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center, focusing on workforce development.
- Delivery AssociatesmajorEvaluation partner for Bloomberg Philanthropies, conducting alumni outcomes survey with 176 apprentices yielding 41% response rate.
- Say Yes BuffalomajorAffiliate of CareerWise bringing career opportunities through apprenticeship to young people across Western New York with close strategic support from the national organization.
- CityWorks DCmajorAffiliate program partner receiving ongoing strategic support, access to the Hub platform, and technical support from CareerWise to implement high-quality youth apprenticeship programming in Washington DC.
- Horizon Education AlliancemajorAffiliate partnership working closely with CareerWise to bring modern youth apprenticeship to Elkhart County, Indiana - one of Indiana's most dynamic manufacturing regions.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
CareerWise USA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Year Up: Year Up is a large nonprofit providing workforce training and career pathways for young adults, including employer-based apprenticeships — directly comparable in mission, target demographic (opportunity youth), and earn-while-you-learn model.
- NPower: NPower provides free tech training and job placement for veterans and young adults from underrepresented communities — a direct nonprofit peer offering tuition-free workforce pathways to employer partners with similar coaching and placement structures.
- National Fund for Workforce Solutions: The National Fund is a national nonprofit network investing in employer-led, regional workforce partnerships — directly comparable in building intermediary networks that connect employers, training providers, and workers across U.S. regions.
- Genesys Works: Genesys Works provides high school students from underserved communities with skills training and corporate internship pathways — directly comparable in youth workforce development mission, employer intermediary model, and target student demographic.
- Opportunity@Work: Opportunity@Work is a nonprofit social enterprise focused on expanding access to skilled jobs for workers without bachelor's degrees — a peer targeting similar STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) populations through employer engagement.
- Per Scholas: Per Scholas provides tuition-free tech training and pathways to jobs for adults from underserved communities, with employer partnerships across multiple U.S. cities — a direct peer in nonprofit workforce development serving similar populations and employer demand.
Emerging players
- Multiverse: Multiverse is a venture-backed apprenticeship platform focused on tech and digital skills for working professionals — an emerging for-profit peer that competes for employer apprenticeship budgets with a technology-forward matching platform.
- Apprentice Foundation / Apprenticeship Forward: Apprenticeship Forward is an emerging national intermediary advancing apprenticeship policy and practitioner networks — an adjacent peer operating in the same coalition-building space but focused more on policy advocacy than direct program delivery.
Others
- Jobs for the Future (JFF): JFF is a national nonprofit driving workforce transformation and economic mobility through research, policy, and program design — a contracted partner to CareerWise that operates in adjacent workforce policy/research space rather than direct apprenticeship delivery.
Broad incumbents
- ApprenticeshipNC / Apprenticeship USA ecosystem: The U.S. Department of Labor's ApprenticeshipUSA is the federal umbrella promoting registered apprenticeship nationwide — a broad incumbent that sets standards and funding frameworks within which CareerWise operates and competes for state-level programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CareerWise USA social profiles
Digital presenceCareerWise USA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
CareerWise USA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CareerWise USA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
CareerWise USA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
CareerWise USA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CareerWise USA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CareerWise USA
What does CareerWise USA do?
CareerWise USA designs and operates youth apprenticeship programs that enable high school students (ages 16-26) to earn wages while gaining industry-recognized credentials through on-the-job training and classroom instruction. The organization provides a technology platform (The Hub) for managing apprenticeship recruitment, training, and tracking, and delivers consulting services to states, employers, and communities to design, launch, and scale apprenticeship ecosystems.
Is CareerWise USA a public or private company?
CareerWise USA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CareerWise USA founded?
CareerWise USA was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CareerWise USA based?
CareerWise USA is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does CareerWise USA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grants and Federal Funding is the primary driver. The others are business Investment and consulting Services.
Who are CareerWise USA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Year Up, NPower, National Fund for Workforce Solutions, Genesys Works, Opportunity@Work and Per Scholas. Emerging players are Multiverse and Apprentice Foundation / Apprenticeship Forward. Jobs for the Future (JFF) is listed as an others. ApprenticeshipNC / Apprenticeship USA ecosystem is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does CareerWise USA have an API?
No public API is recorded for CareerWise USA.
What industry is CareerWise USA in?
CareerWise USA's product category is Youth Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAK, Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGADAF, Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611513 and its SIC code is 8200.