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National movement to offer students alternative pathways to careers and college launches in Region name

LOCATION—DATE—To address persistent high levels of youth unemployment and prepare students for good jobs in growth industries, a number of states have, in a few short years, made significant inroads in restructuring their education systems to help young people gain traction toward careers and postsecondary degrees.

Georgia is among the twelve member states in the Pathways to Prosperity Network that have launched or dramatically expanded alternative pathways that offer flexible work and learning opportunities. The initiatives help young people complete high school, attain a postsecondary credential with labor market value, and get launched in high-demand careers that can provide the basis for further advancement. The Pathways to Prosperity Network is managed by Jobs for the Future (JFF) and the Harvard Graduate School of Education

The states— Georgia, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Minnesota—are using existing and new sources of funding to expand early college high schools and career academies, and to provide career education for all students, including the college bound. All of the states offer opportunities for students to participate in apprenticeships, paid internships, job shadowing, career advising, career and technical education, and training courses pegged to industry-specific certificates and credentials in areas of high demand. The state initiatives are particularly focused on targeting career development in industries—such as information technology and computer science, health care, advanced manufacturing and pre-engineering, and other STEM fields—that market research conducted by JFF shows are rapidly growing in their regions.

Shifting the Balance “Concerned about unemployment and workforce development, states have sought to balance the focus of schooling from the college-for-all mantra of the past decade to a new strategy that will help students who will not go to college immediately to enter mid-skill, mid-wage jobs that can motivate them to gain further education,” said Robert Schwartz, professor emeritus at Harvard Graduate School of Education who, along with colleagues at JFF, helps to lead the Network. “Every state and community faces these challenges, and these states demonstrate that they can be addressed effectively and relatively quickly.”

“If we don't provide opportunities for work-based learning, internships, employment, mentoring, obtaining stackable credentials, use of technology, and industry resources for teacher-employer participation in the shaping of curriculum, then the ‘career’ part of ‘college and career readiness’ will not be fully realized,” says Miguel del Valle, chairman of the Illinois P-20 Council.

“Through [the Pathways to Prosperity] initiative, we are creating opportunities for students to learn about careers and acquire the necessary skills so they can transition smoothly from high school into a two-year technical program—and then get a job or pursue a bachelor’s degree,” notes Mitchell D. Chester, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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About the Pathways to Prosperity Network The Pathways to Prosperity Network, established in 2012, is a 10-state initiative led by Jobs for the Future and Harvard Graduate School of Education that works to increase the numbers of young people who complete high school, attain a postsecondary credential with value in the labor market, and get launched on a career in a high demand, high wage occupation that can also provide the basis to pursue further education and career advancement.

About Jobs for the Future Jobs for the Future works with our partners to design and drive the adoption of innovative and scalable education and career pathways leading from college readiness to career advancement for those struggling to succeed in today’s economy. The organization strives to fulfill the promise that education and economic mobility in America is achieved for everyone. Jobs for the Future works to ensure that all lower-income young people and workers have the skills and credentials needed to succeed in our economy, by creating solutions that catalyze change in our education and workforce delivery systems.

About Harvard Graduate School of Education Since its founding in 1920, the Harvard Graduate School of Education has been training leaders to transform education in the United States and around the globe. Today, its faculty, students, and alumni are studying and solving the most critical challenges facing education: student assessment, the achievement gap, and teacher effectiveness, to name just a few. Through the Ed School’s 13 master’s programs, two doctoral programs, and extensive executive education programs, the HGSE community is pushing the frontiers of education, and the effects of its entrepreneurship are improving the world.

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