# The First Mile Sandbox

Talent readiness for the next generation


### Entry-level pathways under pressure

75% of employers globally report difficulty finding the talent they need. At the same time, industries and traditional career pathways are undergoing rapid technological and structural transformation, most visibly at the entry level. While much of the current discourse focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence, globally, artificial intelligence, geoeconomic reconfiguration, and demographic pressures are reshaping competitiveness, talent pipelines, and labour market opportunities. Taken together, these forces are creating a widening structural gap between how early-career talent is developed and how entry-level work is changing.


## The Initiative at a glance

The First Mile Sandbox aims to reinvent talent readiness for the next generation by connecting universities, employers and other stakeholders with an invitation to scale best practices, pilot new partnership models, and anticipate future workforce transformation pressures on entry-level talent.  Industry readiness and the transition from learning to earning have long faced structural misalignment. What distinguishes the current moment is the speed and scale of disruption. Acting under uncertainty requires deliberate experimentation and not deferred consensus. The Forum's First Mile Sandbox provides the platform to anticipate, pilot, and scale what works.  Anticipate:  What comes next – join an executive foresight series on the next phase of workforce transformation and its impact on entry-level talent. Pilot: Individual pilots already exist - share, design and accelerate initiatives that strengthen entry-level talent readiness while advancing national and corporate priorities. Scale: The challenges have been identified – discuss a shared solution agenda and discover new ideas and proven approaches to fast-track programmes. The Sandbox connects individual pilots to a common framework for learning across sectors and geographies that turns isolated experiments into transferable insight.


## The value of engaging

The First Mile Sandbox brings together university leaders, executives, senior experts and policymakers, philanthropists, and individuals working on entry-level talent readiness to address the key gaps.


### Universities and educational institutes

Improved graduate employment outcomes, stronger employer relationships, and protection against enrolment pressure driven by declining employer confidence.


### Employers

Faster hiring pipelines, better productivity at entry level, reduced reliance on costly lateral hiring, and direct input into the coalition architecture aligned with enabling sector growth.


### Resource mobilisers and philanthropies

A structured platform for engaging with multiple stakeholders on their priorities, opportunity to showcase how their work is part of the solution space, and an opportunity to position themselves at the core of coalition-building as industries move beyond isolated bilateral pilots.


### Governments

Credible, evidence-based mechanisms for reducing youth unemployment and improving labour market absorption, particularly in high-growth emerging markets and ageing advanced economies.


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### Let's get started

The stakes are clear. If early-career pathways continue to narrow, the costs fall on workers who cannot enter the labour market, firms that cannot build, and economies that cannot grow. The Forum's First Mile Sandbox provides the platform to anticipate, pilot, and scale what works to address entry-level talent challenges.

[Join us](mailto:lindsay.ewy@weforum.org)