Gap

Retail requires soft skills like decision making and time management that come in handy in any job. This Way Ahead teaches such skills to “opportunity youth” who are disconnected from work or school, by giving them first jobs at Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic. About 5,300 have completed the program to date; for alumni, high school graduation and employment rates are significantly higher than their peers’. And in August, the retailer announced a significant expansion that will take This Way Ahead into 53 cities worldwide, up from 15 in 2017, and make it year-round in some locations.