National Nonprofit InsideTrack Launches “Coaching Lab” to Accelerate Career and Workforce Outcomes

InsideTrack launches R&D incubator to design, test and scale coaching strategies that remove barriers to education and career mobility

PORTLAND, Ore. (October 16, 2025) — InsideTrack, a mission-driven nonprofit that was the first to apply success coaching and has supported more than 3.6 million learners in achieving their educational and career goals, today announced the launch of the Coaching Lab — a new R&D innovation incubator designed to test, evaluate and scale or pilot emerging practices that help more students complete their education and more workers thrive in their careers.

“At a time when learners and workers face mounting barriers to stability and economic progress, we have to innovate under pressure — experimenting, adapting quickly and finding ways to deliver greater impact with limited resources,” said Ruth Bauer, president of InsideTrack. “Our aspiration is to evaluate promising approaches in real-world settings and accelerate the spread of solutions that work. It’s about translating innovation into meaningful outcomes for learners, workers and communities.”

The launch comes at a time of rising demand for proven strategies to boost student persistence and workforce success — paired with growing uncertainty around both public and philanthropic investments in higher education and training. According to a recent survey from the Lumina Foundation and Gallup, more than 40 percent of college students have considered stopping out within the past year. Meanwhile, workforce boards and training providers face mounting pressure to demonstrate measurable impact while serving populations experiencing growing economic hardship.

The Lab will serve as a proving ground for funders, higher education leaders, workforce boards and training providers to test and scale emerging services and approaches that deliver measurable results and can be replicated across communities. Drawing on InsideTrack’s two decades of experience in research, evaluation and program design, the new Lab will bridge the gap between innovation and evidence — providing the resources, expertise and infrastructure needed to pilot initiatives that remove barriers to educational and workforce success.

Among the first initiatives in the Coaching Lab are collaborations across education, workforce and philanthropy, including:

• Center for Caregiver Advancement, a 25-year-old nonprofit that has trained more than 70,000 care workers across the state for frontline roles and is working with InsideTrack to reduce burnout and improve career success.
• Cuyahoga County and the Ohio National Guard, which together are piloting a Pay for Success model, funded by Maycomb Capital, that links public funding to measurable outcomes, while using coaching to help Guard members upskill and advance their careers.
• The Kentucky Student Success Collaboration, which is helping thousands of adult learners — including more than 2,600 who earned a GED in FY 2024 — transition into degrees and credentials that lead to stronger career opportunities.
• Youth Mental Health Corps, a collaborative initiative backed by the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest that supports youth mental health in schools and communities while giving young adults across 11 states on-ramps into behavioral health careers.
• Workforce Development Board of Ventura County, which administers more than $5 million in federal workforce funding each year, connecting thousands of residents to training and career opportunities, and is expanding career coaching for WIOA-eligible youth through a pilot project and collaboration with InsideTrack.

“Too often, promising practices with the power to change lives never reach the scale they deserve,”  said Fiona Yung, program officer at the Schultz Family Foundation. “Through our work with InsideTrack, we have seen how coaching helps young adults navigate challenges, gain clarity, and take concrete steps toward their career goals.  The Coaching Lab is an exciting next step — a space where innovation meets real-world practice, and where testing, refinement, and evaluation can help proven ideas grow to reach more people at scale.”

The Lab will focus on putting research into action, testing strategies in real-world settings and learning what truly makes a difference for students and workers. Over the coming years, InsideTrack will partner with institutions and organizations to pilot and refine approaches, building a community of practice that shares evidence and lessons widely. With research and evaluation at the center, the Lab is designed to generate practical tools and proven strategies that can be adapted and scaled to meet the needs of today’s learners and workers. 

To learn more about InsideTrack’s innovative work with partners, policymakers and fellow nonprofits, visit InsideTrack.org.

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‍ About InsideTrack: InsideTrack is a mission-driven nonprofit that fuels equitable social impact by advancing individuals forward to achieve their educational and career goals through the transformative power of coaching. We help people get the education and training they need to reskill, upskill and advance in their careers, creating pathways that lead to quality jobs, family-sustaining wages and meaningful employment. Since 2001, we have served more than 3.6 million people and partnered with over 425 organizations, tailoring our coaching outcomes to fit the needs of our partners and the individuals they support. Our coaching methodology is evidence-based and research-confirmed, supporting anyone we work with to thrive — especially those who are historically marginalized or facing significant barriers to success. To learn more, visit www.insidetrack.org and follow us on LinkedIn @InsideTrack.