by D Jenkins · 2006 · Cited by 102 — The career pathways approach helps community colleges better align their various mission areas of workforce development, academic credentialing and transfer
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Workforce Strategy CenterACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Workforce Strategy Center would like to thank The Joyce Foundation for their support of this report, especially Jennifer L. Phillips and Whitney Smith for their excellent insights and advice. We are also grateful to the experts in the Þeld who recommended sites to use for illustrative purposes throughout the report and to the representatives at many community colleges, state and local agencies, and other organizations who gave their time and energy to make this work possible.
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01SECTIONONE OVERVIEW 01Context and Need 02Career Pathways: A Way to Make the Pieces Fit04Purpose and Organization ofThis Guide 05SECTIONTWO GUIDELINESFORBUILDING AREGIONALCAREERPATHWAYS PARTNERSHIP05Overview of the Process 07Gap Analysis 10Career Pathways Planning 11Side Bar: Engaging Employers 21Implementation 22Continuous Improvement25Expansion 27SECTIONTHREE ROLESFORSTATESANDSTATE AGENCIESINSUPPORTING CAREERPATHWAYSDEVELOPMENT 31Support for Pilots 32Using Federal Funds to Support Planning and Piloting33Coaching 34Workshops 34Cross-Site Learning40SECTIONFOUR LESSONSLEARNED 40Build Relationships around a Shared Vision and Mutual Advantage 41Have Realistic Expectations 42Obtain Buy-In from Top-Level Leadership 42Go for the Low-Hanging Fruit42Track Participant Progress and Outcomes 43Remember to Tap All Potential Participants 43Make Career Pathways about Transforming Institutions45ENDNOTES CONTENTS
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FORWARD Career pathways as a concept has garnered tremendous momentum since we Þrst examined it in our 2002 report Building a Career Pathways System: Promising Practices in Community College- Centered Workforce Development. All over the country, examples of creative policy and practice are emerging. Workforce Strategy Center has been involved in the development of policies, pilot programs and initiatives of various shapes and forms in states and localities from New York to California. Having witnessed the eagerness of policymakers and practitioners for experimentation and innovation in this Þeld, we developed this report in hopes of shortening the learning curve forthose just beginning their career pathways work. Our goal is to share with the Þeld our knowledge of the Òwhy and howÓ of career pathways projects currently up and running.This report is the second in a series called Pathways to Competitiveness. The examples, which were chosen based on recommendations from experts in the Þeld, are not intended to be an exhau- stive review of all career pathway efforts in the country. There are many excellent examples of career pathways that are not highlighted in this guide. It sets out a step-by-step protocol for buildingcareer pathways on the local level and discusses how state-level ofÞcials can support local efforts. The Þrst report, Career Pathways: Aligning Public Resources to Support Individual and Regional Economic Advancement in the Knowledge Economy, introduces the series with a deÞnition and economic justiÞcation for the approach. A third report, forthcoming, will take a more in-depth look at issues relevant to state policymakers who wish to support career pathways. Whether you come to this subject as an experienced architect of career pathways, a newcomer unfamiliar with the concept, or anywhere in between, we hope you read all three reports in the series and contribute to advancing the Þeld.Julian L. Alssid, Executive Director, Workforce Strategy Center
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2WORKFORCESTRATEGYCENTER to those who are already in career-path jobs.And far more often than not, the ÒsecondchanceÓ systems for adults with limited skillsÑ adult literacy and job training programsÑare notvery effective in preparing participants tosucceed in post-secondary education and careers. Because states and localities have a primary responsibility to formulate and fund policies for education, workforce development, social services and economic development, states and regions within them have consid- erable power to push for positive changes in how these systems operate and work together. The stakes are high for them to ensure that these systems are effective in enabling individual residents to succeed in the labor market and promoting economic development for communities, regions and the state as a whole. Career Pathways: A Way to Make the Pieces Fit In a growing number of regions around thecountry, local leaders are working to more closely coordinate publicly funded education, from primary through post-secondary levels, with social services and workforce and economic development programs to produce a better-trained workforce and promote economic growth. Several states are actively supporting the efforts of these regional partnerships. ÒCareer pathwaysÓ is our term for a seriesofconnected education and training programsand support services that enable individuals tosecure employment within a speciÞc industry oroccupational sector, and to advance over time to successively higher levels of education and employment in that sector. Each step on a career pathway is designed explicitly to preparefor the next level of employment and education. Career pathways target jobs in industries of importance to local economies. Their purpose is to create both avenues ofadvancement for current workers, jobseekersand future labor market entrants and a supplyof qualiÞed workers for local employers. Assuch, they also help to strengthen the Òsupply chainsÓ that produce and keep up-to-date a regionÕs knowledge workforce.Career pathways, however, cannot be purchased off the shelf. The speciÞc form and content of a career pathway will depend on the particular industries targeted, the requirements of employment and advancement in the target sectors, and existing programs and resourcesfor preparing workers for employment in thosesectors. Building a career pathway is a process of adapting existing programs and servicesÑ and adding new onesÑto enable individuals to advance to successively higher levels of education and employment in the target sectors. Where it is most effective, the career pathways process helps to transform institu- tions and organizations involved in education, employment and social services. The process strengthens cooperation between these actors in ways that improve their individual and collective capacities to respond to the needs of local residents and employers.Community colleges often play a linchpin role in career pathways. The career pathways approach helps community colleges better align their various mission areas of workforce development, academic credentialing and transfer preparation and remediation. Studentsentering into adult literacy or college remedialcoursework are better able to advance to andsucceed in college-level programs, and all students can more readily earn post-secondary credentials and make progress toward a career. Pathways commonly feature communitycolleges working in partnership with other
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3educational entities and with workforce andeconomic development agencies, as well aswith employer and labor groups and socialservice providers, to ensure that investments ineducation and training pay off for their regionÕseconomic vitality. Other common characteristics of career pathways include:¥Extensive reliance upon data, from the initial step of selecting industries or occupations for pathway development, through the work of identifying gaps in education and training for the target industries, and Þnally evaluating how successful efforts to improve educa-tional attainment and economic advancement in those industries have been.¥Use of Òroad maps,Ó jointly produced by educators, workforce development profes- sionals and employers, that show the connections between education and training programs and jobs at different levels within a given industry or occupational sector at different levels. ¥Clear linkages between remedial, academic and occupational programs within educa- tional institutions, and easy articulation of credits across institutions to enable studentsto progress seamlessly from one level to thenext and earn credentials while improving their career prospects and working within the Þeld.¥Curricula deÞned in terms of competenciesrequired for jobs and further education at the next level, and, where possible, tied to industry skill standards, certiÞcations or licensing requirements.¥Emphasis on Òlearning by doingÓ throughclass projects, laboratories, simulations and internships.¥Programs offered at times and places(including workplaces) convenient for working adults and structured in small modules or Òchunks,Ó each leading to a recognized credential. ¥The ßexibility to enter and exit education as participantsÕ circumstances permit. ¥ÒWrap-aroundÓ support services, including career assessment and counseling, case management, child care, Þnancial aid and job placement.¥ÒBridge programsÓ for educationally disad- vantaged youths and adults that teach basic skills like communication, math and problem- solving in the context of training for advancement to better jobs and post-secondary training.2¥Alignment of both public and private funding sources, such as the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins), Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families THECAREERPATHWAYSHOW -TOGUIDE ¥Target jobs in industries of importance to local economies¥Create avenues of advancement forcurrent workers, jobseekers and futurelabor market entrants ¥Increase supply of qualiÞed workers for local employers in the target industries KEYFEATURESOFCAREERPATHWAYS
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4WORKFORCESTRATEGYCENTER (TANF), state and federal Þnancial aid and employer tuition reimbursement, and sharingof costs among partners to provide needededucation and support services in a cost-effective way. At each point along career pathways, the objective is not only to prepare youths and adults for the next levels of education and employment, but to motivate them to advance by exposing them to the opportunities available. Purpose and Organization of This Guide In 2002, Workforce Strategy Center published astudy titled Building Career PathwaysSystems: Promising Practices in Community College-Centered Workforce Development, 3which proÞled emerging efforts across the country to build career pathways and identiÞed features that make them effective. Since then, we have worked with regional coalitions of community colleges, high schools, social service, workforce and economic development agencies, and employer and labor groups across the country to build pathways in a wide range of sectors. We have also advised state agencies on how to support statewide devel- opment of career pathways. This guide presents the lessons from that work.The guide is designed for local actors, such as professionals in community colleges andworkforce, social service and economic devel- opment agencies, who are looking to render their institutions more responsive to the needsof the individuals, employers and communitiesthey serve. It is also intended for state agencies seeking to invest scarce public resources in efforts that will pay off for state and local economic development. It is organized asfollows: Section Two describes the work of building regional career pathways partnerships. We have broken down this process into Þve stages, which we call Gap Analysis, Career Pathways Planning, Implementation, Continuous Improve- ment and Expansion. We discuss the speciÞc steps involved in each stage. The chapter inclu- des examples for each stage, detailing how pathways partnerships across the U.S. have approached the process of building career pathways.Section Three considers the roles that state leaders and agencies can play in helping to cultivate pathways partnerships statewide. State actors can do this by setting forth an overallguiding vision, engaging and supporting local actors, breaking down silos within and between state agencies, reallocating funding to support career pathways, and establishing systems of performance measurement that promote continuous improvement. To illustrate these points, we consider the experiences of a handful of states on the leading edge of careerpathways development, including California, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. Finally, Section Four looks at lessons learned from the experience of states and localities in developing career pathways to this point. For a more in-depth discussion of the rationale for career pathways and a case studyof a well-developed career pathways effort in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, please see our report Career Pathways: Aligning Public Resources to support Individual and Regional EconomicAdvancement in the Knowledge Economy.
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THECAREERPATHWAYSHOW -TOGUIDE 5Gap Analysis: Target industries and jobs that will support individual advancement and regional growth 1.1Analyze the current and projected supply and demand for labor in the region, identi- fying industries offering jobs with family- supporting wages and opportunities for advancement.1.2Assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing education and workforce development services for the targetsectors, and identify gaps where needs are currently unmet.1.3Consider the return on potential public investments. Career Pathways Planning: Form a partnership to develop a career pathways plan2.1Organize partners, including education and training providers and workforce, economic development and socialservice entities, to develop the plan. 2.2Involve employers in mapping the structure of jobs, job requirements and advancement pathways in the target industry sector(s).2.3Rethink partner programs and services to support career entry and advancement inthe target sector(s). 2.4 Identify costs, and develop a funding strategy. 2.5Develop a stakeholder engagement and communications plan to build broadbased support for the career pathways vision and goals.Implementation: Coordinate the work of thepartners3.1Establish memoranda of understanding specifying the roles, commitments andcontributions of each partner, including employers.3.2Coordinate the work of the partners, including program development, marketing and recruitment, delivery of programs and support services, jobdevelopment and outcomes tracking. Continuous Improvement: Evaluate and continu-ously improve career pathways programs andservices4.1Conduct regular in-process reviews of program performance.4.2Track the employment and further education outcomes of participants ateach level. SECTIONTWO GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A REGIONAL CAREER PATHWAYS PARTNERSHIP: OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS Based on our work with regional partnerships and states across the country, Workforce Strategy Center has developed the following Þve-stage process for building career pathways. Broadly speaking, we might characterize these stages as Gap Analysis, Career Pathways Planning, Implemen- tation, Continuous Improvement and Expansion.
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