JMU Launches New Program Offering Free Training, Networking For Unemployed Grads

RICHMOND, VA – James Madison University, in Harrisonburg, VA, has announced a new program offering free training to former students still looking for jobs or meaningful pursuits one year after graduating.

Announced on Friday, the program, JMU Guarantees, offers class of 2027 graduates access to networking, training, coaching and more undergraduate courses if they have not reached “a positive career outcome” 12 months after graduating.

The university lists a job, graduate or professional school, military enlistment or a service year as potential positive career outcomes.

The program offers job-hunting graduates access to JMU's alumni portal, learning modules, customized coaching and undergraduate courses, all without charge, the university says. The learning modules include lessons on communication, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, entrepreneurial thinking and AI literacy. Some offer badges or micro credentials that can be added to resumes, according to JMU.

The program also makes a guarantee to employers. It offers free coaching for employed JMU graduates found to have gaps in essential workplace skills within one to three years of graduation.

According to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the university has not set a limit on the number of classes graduates accessing the program can take, but it says the guarantee program isn't meant to offer a new degree. However, it will be interpreted generously, according to JMU President Jim Schmidt, and underemployed students may also participate.

The program will begin with graduates of the class of 2027 and continue.

JMU’s website says 95% of its graduating class of 2025 have achieved a “positive career outcome.”