American Graduate Expands to Prepare More Young People for a Changing Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2025) —American Graduate, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is launching a new phase in 10 additional public media markets. The initiative, which began more than a decade ago to prevent students from dropping out of high school, has evolved into explaining career paths for students.

American Graduate: Jobs Explained aims to help young people navigate the rapidly evolving workforce after leaving school, while strengthening the capacity of local stations to build partnerships with community and business leaders and engage new audiences.

“Through American Graduate: Jobs Explained, public media stations are connecting to young people through their peers and business leaders, with the practical information they need to get the jobs they want,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “Stations will partner with local business and industry leaders to produce content on platforms used by students to point them toward resources and help them make informed choices about their lives after high school.”

This new phase of American Graduate: Jobs Explained will focus on regional economies and career paths. Stations will have greater flexibility to identify the workforce needs of their community, utilize their strong relationships with local educators, workforce leaders, employers, and civic institutions to respond to regional workforce needs with trusted, tailored content that meets young people where they are—online and in the community.

Stations in 10 additional markets were selected to produce and promote content focused on in-demand careers in their communities and region. The 10 stations will each receive a $100,000 grant to complete this work. The stations include:

• Iowa PBS (Johnston, IA)
• Arizona PBS (Phoenix, AZ)
• Central Michigan University Public Broadcasting Network (Mt. Pleasant, MI)
• East Tennessee PBS (Knoxville, TN)
• Blue Ridge PBS (Roanoke, VA)
• Maryland Public Television (Owings Mills, MD)
• South Carolina Educational Television Commission (Columbia, SC)
• WJCT (Jacksonville, FL)
• WXXI Public Broadcasting Council (Rochester, NY)
• ThinkTV (Cincinnati, OH)

“We are pleased to continue our workforce development programming as part of American Graduate: Jobs Explained 2.0,” said Vickie Lawson, President and CEO of East Tennessee PBS. “Following the success of our previous work to introduce young learners to in-demand careers, we’re excited to expand our efforts with CPB’s support through the Jobs Explained initiative. We believe workforce education should begin early, be locally relevant, and inspire learners to see what’s possible — and public media is uniquely positioned to make that happen.”

As the workforce continues to shift due to technology and economic change, young people need trusted information to make informed decisions. Research shows that while 92% of Gen Z trusts TikTok for career advice, 55% admit to following misleading advice on the platform, underscoring the need for the trusted, community-based information that public media, through American Graduate: Jobs Explained provides.

Led by The WNET Group and funded by CPB, American Graduate: Jobs Explained has demonstrated remarkable success since its May 2023 launch, with the first 10 stations producing more than 2,400 videos, garnering 12 million views and over 580,000 engagements across social media platforms.

Since the original CPB-funded American Graduate initiative started in 2011, public media has played a significant role in raising awareness and highlighting solutions as the nation’s high school graduation rate increased after years of decline. In 14 years, more than 135 local stations, 40 national producers, and 1,700 local and national partner organizations have become part of the American Graduate initiative.

About The WNET Group
The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York's THIRTEEN – America's flagship PBS station – WLIW, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey's statewide public television network; Long Island's only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment, and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group's award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs like NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group's award-winning Kids' Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding, and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us. 

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.