Career Programs That Support the Arts

About NextMove

NextMove is a student-focused initiative that helps young people build skills in the creative arts and access early paid opportunities that lead to sustainable career pathways. Students gain exposure to professional expectations, real-world experience, and creative industries that help them better understand how their talents can translate into long-term work.

School-Based Cohort Model

The program is delivered in partnership with schools through six structured after-school sessions designed for high school juniors and seniors. Each cohort provides consistent, guided learning that allows students to build confidence and practical skills over time within a familiar educational setting.

Skill Development

Students participate in hands-on sessions focused on communication, résumé development, interview preparation, career exploration, and workplace expectations, with content designed to connect creative interests to real-world opportunity.

Paid Work Experience

A select group of students move into paid internship opportunities with local businesses and organizations, giving them early workplace exposure, professional responsibility, and experience that strengthens long-term career readiness.

Led by Nicki Joiner

NextMove is led by Nicki Joiner, a former recruiter at JPMorgan Chase, higher education administrator, entrepreneur, and national career readiness speaker whose professional background makes her uniquely positioned to prepare students for what comes next. Her experience spans both sides of the student journey: understanding how hiring decisions are made in real workplaces and how meaningful learning experiences must be designed for young people to truly engage and grow.

Nicki is trusted by organizations including Girls Inc., NASA, and more than 70 colleges and universities across the country. Over the past year alone, she has engaged more than 30,000 students through speaking and workforce readiness programming. Across her recruiting career, she has reviewed more than 50,000 résumés, interviewed over 11,000 candidates, and hired more than 500 students and early-career professionals.

She is also a multi-passionate business owner featured on The Blox who has built and successfully exited businesses in the arts, bringing firsthand understanding of what it takes to turn creativity into sustainable work. With more than a decade of experience across nonprofit leadership and the arts, she brings a perspective that helps students see both possibility and practical next steps.

That combination allows NextMove to deliver career preparation that is current, practical, and grounded in what students actually need to compete, communicate, and move forward with confidence.