What Coalition for Career Development does

The Coalition for Career Development Center (CCD Center) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 2015 by Leo Reddy and reorganized into a D.C.-based think tank in June 2020. Its mission is to make career readiness the top priority of American education by producing research, frameworks, policy advocacy, and technical assistance for K-12 educators, employers, governments, and community organizations. The Center does not develop proprietary technology products; its portfolio is built around four asset pillars — intellectual frameworks (the Five Pillar Solutions Framework: career advising, career planning, applied and work-based learning, career development technology, accountability), research publications (the annual Condition of Career Readiness in the United States report with Boston University), program offerings (Army of Career Coaches pilot, Universal Industry Internship Toolkit, Leo Reddy Career Readiness School Award), and convening/distribution channels (Career Readiness for All podcast, Policy Forum series, State Map, summits).

Its business model is nonprofit philanthropy and foundation-funded project delivery rather than commercial revenue. Disclosed financial partners include the JP Morgan Chase Foundation (via Education Strategy Group's New Skills Ready Network) and Liberty Mutual Foundation (Army of Career Coaches pilot in Boston). Cross-sector partnerships anchor reach: Boston University Wheelock, American Student Assistance, CASEL (research), Education Strategy Group (technical assistance on New Skills Ready Network), Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, National Governors Association, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, College Board, and most recently the AI for Career Development Coalition of nearly 100 organizations (steering committee of five) launched in January 2026. The 2025 launch of ALLready marks a strategic shift from pure think-tank output toward packaged, action-oriented deliverables for K-12, industry, government, and community buyers, while founder Leo Reddy's parallel leadership of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) — covering 2,800+ instructors, 1,800+ assessment centers, and 250,000+ credentials across all 50 states — provides institutional scale.

Name

Coalition for Career Development

Legal name

Coalition For Career Development Center

Website

https://ccd-center.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Coalition for Career Development Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Alexandria, VA that produces research, frameworks, policy advocacy, and technical assistance to make career readiness the top priority of American education for K-12 educators, employers, governments, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Coalition for Career Development (CCD) Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank that conducts research, publishes frameworks and reports, and provides policy advocacy and technical assistance aimed at making career readiness the first priority of American education. Its flagship Five Pillar Solutions Framework (career advising, career planning, applied and work-based learning, career development technology, and accountability) structures its research, publications, programs, and stakeholder convenings across K-12 education, industry, government, and community audiences.

Product overview

The Coalition for Career Development (CCD) Center is a nonprofit think tank focused on making career readiness the first priority of American education. Rather than a single software product, the organization offers a portfolio of research publications (Condition of Career Readiness Reports), frameworks (Five Pillar Solutions Framework), programs (Army of Career Coaches, ALLready initiative), content series (podcast, policy forums), and tools (State Map). The ALLready sub-brand extends their think tank work into actionable guidance. Key offerings include the annual Leo Reddy Career Readiness School Award and various publications and events supporting career readiness policy and practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALLready: An extension of the CCD Center that aims to distill the Center's think tank work into actionable insights, guidance, and technical assistance for K-12 educators, industries, governments, and communities.

Products and services

• ALLready Initiative An extension of the CCD Center that translates think tank research into actionable insights, guidance, and technical assistance for K-12 educators, industries, governments, and communities implementing career-readiness infrastructure.
• Five Pillar Solutions Framework A framework comprising five pillars (career planning, career advising, applied and work-based learning, career development technology, and accountability) that support all learners' ability to succeed in today's employment landscape, used by educators, employers, and policymakers to structure career readiness systems.
• Leo Reddy Career Readiness School Award An annual award program recognizing K-12 schools and community colleges that implement exemplary career readiness systems aligned with the Five Pillar Solutions Framework.
• Condition of Career Readiness Report An annual research report assessing state-level career readiness indicators including young adult disconnection from education/employment, full-time employment rates, and living wage earnings, produced in partnership with the Boston University Center for Future Readiness.
• Career Readiness for All Podcast A monthly podcast featuring subject matter experts discussing career readiness topics, distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
• Policy Forum Series A virtual and in-person policy forum series convening industry, government, and education leaders on career readiness topics such as career pathway strategies, equity in talent pipeline, career development technology, and workforce transitions.
• State Map on Career Readiness Policies, Resources, and Performance An interactive state-by-state map providing analysis of state career readiness data, policies, and recommendations on how students are learning and thriving.
• Army of Career Coaches Program A pilot training program using an asset-based, culturally relevant career coaching model that trains community-based professionals to become career coaches for underserved populations, covering career planning, work-based learning, career development technologies, and accountability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48% of career navigation organizations report failure to deploy AI effectively for underserved populations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• AI for Career Development Coalition (AICD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026National alliance of nearly 100 organizations aimed at ensuring AI strengthens access to high-quality career guidance. Coalition released inaugural report on AI deployment in career navigation. Anchored by steering committee of five organizations.
• U.S. Department of LabormajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2022Engaged during the 2022 Career Readiness Summit. U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh provided department perspective. Partnership supports policy development and workforce readiness initiatives.
• Boston University Wheelock College Center for Future ReadinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research collaboration producing the Condition of Career Readiness reports. Dr. Scott Solberg serves as Vice President of Research for CCD Center while being a Professor at Boston University. The partnership produced the 2022 and 2023 Condition of Career Readiness in the United States reports.
• American Student Assistance (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner supporting the Condition of Career Readiness reports. Provided funding and collaboration for the inaugural 2022 report produced by the Boston University Center for Future Readiness for the CCD Center.
• Collaborative on Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Condition of Career Readiness in the United States report. CASEL collaborated on the 2022 inaugural report addressing social and emotional learning integration with career readiness.
• Education Strategy Group (ESG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD Center provides technical assistance support for ESG's New Skills Ready Network, engaging during breakout sessions at bi-annual convenings. Focus areas include career advising and case consultancy facilitation, with monthly resources production.
• Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended as a technical assistance partner for community colleges seeking to leverage workforce development opportunities. CAEL develops industry-level partnerships resulting in equitable career pathways and promotes recognition of credit for prior learning.
• National Governors AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Amanda Winters serves as Program Director at NGA. Collaboration on state-level career readiness policy and the New Skills Ready Network initiative with JP Morgan Chase Foundation.
• College BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD Center provided overview of personalized career assessment tools research and conducted market scan comparing available tools. Assessed the BigFuture platform and offered nine recommendations to enhance features for non-college bound learners.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on talent pipeline strategies. Jason Tyszko, Vice President of Center for Education and Workforce, moderated panel discussions. Partnership supports business engagement in career readiness.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Education Strategy Group (ESG): Works with states and education leaders on career pathways, college and career readiness, and workforce alignment. ESG operates the New Skills Ready Network with JP Morgan Chase funding, in which CCD Center is a technical assistance partner—making it a closely aligned peer and collaborator.
• Jobs for the Future: National nonprofit that drives workforce and education systems change, particularly for low-income and underrepresented learners. Closely aligned with CCD Center on career readiness, equity, and employer-education alignment, and a likely collaborator/competitor for federal and philanthropic workforce grants.
• National Skills Coalition: Federal policy and advocacy organization focused on skills training, workforce development, and equity. Competes with CCD Center for federal workforce policy influence and philanthropic funding in the skills and career readiness space.
• American Student Assistance (ASA): Nonprofit focused on helping middle and high school students make informed postsecondary and career decisions. ASA co-produced CCD's inaugural Condition of Career Readiness report and is a direct peer in student-facing career advising research and programs.
• Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL): Nonprofit focused on adult learners, prior learning assessment, and industry-aligned career pathways. Listed as a CCD Center technical assistance partner and a directly comparable peer in adult and postsecondary career readiness.

Broad incumbents

• MDRC: Social policy research organization with deep programs in education, career pathways, and workforce evaluation. Comparable in mission and funding base as a research-driven nonprofit informing workforce and education policy.
• Achieve: Long-established nonprofit working on state-level education policy, college and career readiness standards, and graduation requirements. A broader incumbent in the K-12 college/career readiness policy space where CCD Center also operates.
• RAND Corporation: Large research institution producing influential policy research across education and workforce. A broader incumbent competitor for federal contracts and foundation funding on career readiness and workforce research.
• ExcelinEd: Education policy nonprofit focused on K-12 innovation, career and technical education, and state policy reform. Competes with CCD Center for state-level policy attention and foundation funding on career-connected learning.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: Major business-led foundation running talent pipeline and workforce programs (e.g., T3 Innovation Network). A longstanding CCD Center collaborator and a broader incumbent shaping industry-education alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ALLready_CCD
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ALLready-CCD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/allready-ccd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coalition for Career Development