Key strategies

  • Setting long-term goals for degree and credential attainment that align with predicted employer needs and future job profiles; success should be measured by tracking the percentage of graduates of degree and credential programs who get jobs in related, or otherwise growing, fields

  • Establishing a cross-sector partnership to connect and align secondary and postsecondary education entities, employers, labor, and community organizations to develop college and career pathways in growing areas of the economy

  • Selecting an “intermediary” organization to convene and coordinate collaboration across sectors and drive growth and development of pathways, while ensuring alignment of cabinet agencies and workforce boards

  • Convening employers within and across industries to do skill mapping that helps the education system and students/workers understand the training most likely to lead to success in the workplace

  • Creating a permanent oversight committee of state/local officials and senior leaders from each sector to ensure continued alignment and buy-in

  • Identifying/creating funding streams for maintenance and growth of pathways, including federal funds from:

    • The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), including 15% of funds set aside for states to use or to be returned to the federal government

    • The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which has large funding formulas that could be leveraged for pathways-related work, including a new Title IV funding stream that calls for providing a “well-rounded education” and can pay for activities related to pathways, as well as college and career counseling

    • The Perkins Act, which provides for a CTE State Leadership Fund through which states can spend up to 10% of their allotments for state leadership activities, allowing for flexibility to leverage pathways-related work

    • SNAP Employment and Training (E&T)

    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

  • Expanding dual-enrollment opportunities through strong relationships with institutions of higher education that offer all students the chance to earn college credit for high school classes aligned with their pathways

  • Overseeing system-wide articulation agreements between institutions of higher education and school districts so students can earn college credit for dual-enrollment courses

  • Building a network of employers willing to offer training and work experience opportunities, potentially including guaranteed employment after pathway completion

  • Outlining what students should know about college and careers each year from 8th to 12th grade

  • Establishing a voluntary system for school districts to award college and career pathways endorsements on high school diplomas, with the endorsements recognized by industry