Career Pathways in Action

Book excerpt: Career Pathways in Action offers a detailed exploration of the Pathways to Prosperity Network's efforts at state, regional, and local levels through five case studies across the United States. The cases include efforts to scale up strategic partnerships; balance state policies with particular regional needs and circumstances; and ensure postsecondary success. While the programs vary significantly from one another, they all involve cooperation between political, business, and educational institutions. The cases provide practical models for partnerships that can best serve young people and the industries in which they hope to find rewarding work. "Career Pathways in Action takes the goal of collaboration across K-12, higher education, and industry to the next level. The case studies detail how states and regions unpack the challenges of developing pathways with real value in the marketplace. Career pathways succeed as they reinforce the relevance of course studies and skills for success in the world of work." --Maura Banta, former chair of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education "As technology disrupts the working world, consensus grows that employers must engage more deeply in education: better aligning skills supply and demand and making learning richer and more relevant. This valuable collection looks across the US, exploring how to achieve such strategic collaboration. Assessing what underpins success, this book will be an aid to all those seeking to ensure education in the twenty-first century truly serves all learners." --Anthony Mann, Head of Vocational Education and Training, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Robert B. Schwartz is a professor emeritus of practice in educational policy and administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education and a cofounder of the Pathways to Prosperity Network as well as coeditor for the Work and Learning Series. Amy Loyd is vice president of Building Educational Pathways for Youth at Jobs for the Future and leads the Pathways to Prosperity and college and career pathways work. Nancy Hoffman is a senior advisor at Jobs for the Future and a cofounder of the Pathways to Prosperity Network as well as coeditor for the Work and Learning Series.