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Artificial intelligence is reshaping the economy faster than most of us expected. Tasks that once defined entry-level jobs—drafting documents, managing data, writing code, scheduling meetings—are increasingly automated.

How AmeriCorps and City Year Prepare Young Adults for the Jobs AI Can’t Replace

But while AI changes how work gets done, it doesn’t change something essential: organizations still need people who can lead, collaborate, adapt and connect, as explored in a new white paper, .

The paper was co-authored by EDSAFE AI Alliance, City Year, Partnership for Student Success and Voices for National Service.

At City Year—and across the AmeriCorps network—we see this moment not as a crisis, but as a turning point and an opportunity. As traditional entry-level roles shrink, national service is emerging as one of the clearest pathways for young adults to gain career launching experience and the durable skills today’s employers value most.

The EntryLevel Job Is Disappearing—Experience Is Not

For generations, early-career jobs served as a testing ground where young people learned how to work: how to be accountable, communicate professionally, problem solve, and navigate teams.

Today, many of those first-rung roles are quietly disappearing—not because young adults lack potential, but because technology can now complete routine tasks at scale.

The result is a widening gap between education and employment, especially for:

• First-generation college graduates
• Young adults from low-income backgrounds
• Those without access to professional networks

The challenge facing young adults isn’t effort or talent—it’s access to meaningful, skillbuilding work.

Employers Are Prioritizing Skills AI Can’t Replicate

As automation accelerates, employers are placing greater value on abilities that technology cannot replace. These often get labeled as “soft skills,” but their importance—and staying power—make them anything but soft.

Today’s most in-demand capabilities, often called “” include:

• Critical thinking and judgment
• Adaptability and learning agility
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Communication across differences
• Empathy, leadership, and accountability

These durable skills travel across roles, industries, and economic shifts. They are also difficult to teach in classrooms or verify through résumés alone.

Explore an op-ed by America Succeeds and City Year: National service is a workforce solution hiding in plain sight.

They must be built through experience.

Why National Service Works as Workforce Development

The national service program AmeriCorps was created three decades ago to meet community needs, ranging from disaster relief to education, veteran outreach to health initiatives.

But for decades, it has also quietly functioned as one of the nation’s most effective early-career development platforms.

National service places young adults in environments where success depends on:

• Working with others
• Navigating ambiguity
• Taking responsibility for real outcomes
• Building trust across differences

In short, service restores what the disappearing entry-level job once provided: a protected first rung to practice being human at work.

City Year: Where Service and Career Readiness Meet

City Year AmeriCorps members serve as student success coaches in under-resourced ������Ƶ, partnering with teachers to support attendance, engagement and academic progress.

At the same time, they develop the skills employers are actively seeking.

AmeriCorps hone critical skills during their service with City Year:

Teamwork in Real Time
Members serve on diverse teams, learning to collaborate, give and receive feedback, and solve problems together under pressure.

Communication and RelationshipBuilding
Whether working with students, educators, or families, members practice listening, empathy, and clear communication every day.

Adaptability and Critical Thinking
Each school day brings new challenges. Members learn to assess what’s working, adjust strategies, and reflect on their impact.

Professionalism and Leadership
For many, City Year is their first fulltime role—an experience that builds confidence, accountability, and career readiness.

City Year’s impact goes beyond workforce readiness. While corps members build skills, ������Ƶ gain additional capacity and students receive consistent, caring support.

Research shows that ������Ƶ partnering with City Year are more likely to see improvements in attendance and academic outcomes—helping more students stay on track to graduate.

This dual impact makes national service a powerful investment in both economic mobility and community wellbeing.

AI can automate tasks. It can’t build trust, lead a team, or adapt to human needs.

Alumni Spotlight: From Service Year to Lifelong Impact

City Year Alumni Perspective
“City Year was my first real full-time job. It taught me how to be a professional, a teammate, and a leader. I use those skills every day—no matter what role I’m in.”

City Year alumni go on to careers in education, healthcare, public service, business, technology, and the skilled trades. More than 90% say City Year prepared them for their careers, and a strong majority credit their service year with developing their durable skills.

City Year alumni: A lifetime of impact

For many, service is not a pause between school and work—it’s the start of a meaningful career trajectory.

What Employers See in City Year Alumni

In an era of AIdriven hiring tools and automated screening, employers are searching for reliable signals of human capability.

A year of City Year service sends a clear message:

• This candidate has worked on a team
• This candidate has led with empathy
• This candidate can navigate complexity and accountability

Employer Pull Quote:
“City Year alumni bring maturity, resilience, and collaboration skills that are difficult to teach and essential for longterm success.”

City Year’s employer partnerships and career pathway programs help translate service experience into concrete job opportunities, connecting employers with talent prepared to thrive in an evolving workplace.

The Future of Work Is Human—and It Starts With Service

AI will continue to change how work gets done. What it cannot replace are the human skills that make organizations, communities, and democracy function.

AmeriCorps—and City Year in particular—offer a proven pathway forward:

• Real experience
• Transferable, durable skills
• Career momentum rooted in purpose

We don’t need young adults to compete with AI.
We need to prepare them to do what only humans can do.

For thousands each year, that preparation begins with a year of service.

Ready to take the first step? Apply Now