The Employment Training Administration released a guide of relevant sources that will allow individuals to shed light on labor or skill shortages, skill mismatches, and skill deficiencies. Skimming for Skills provides links to surveys, reports, and customized data tools. Each entry notes whether the survey or source supplies information on current or projected employment, job openings, occupational or industry data, and earnings. Skill-related topics include information on the education, training or skills required for jobs; educational attainment; educational field (e.g., college major) or coursework; and the skills individuals possess, including skill assessments. Each entry also lists availability at the national, State or local level, and the time period covered. For the user's convenience, the numerous skill-related sources are classified by those pertaining to adults, postsecondary students, secondary students, and longitudinal surveys that span ages from student to adult. The guide concludes with a list of supplementary resources for understanding occupational, industry and instructional classification codes; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classifications; and other sources on State and local workforce data and how to use it.

This paper was developed by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to inform those working with career pathways programs of a common language and standards for programs. Through a review of existing literature, feedback from the ongoing Alliance for Quality Career Pathways project, and communication from field researchers, CLASP has designed a conceptual framework for identifying and designing high quality career pathways programs. The framework contains four components which are discussed.

In 2008, Virginia set out to design and implement a statewide career pathways initiative to better meet the needs of regional employers. This report is a case study of Virginia's experience and highlights lessons learned through the process. Virginia's system has garnered attention because it was developed with very little additional funding, a reality for many States in the current economy.

In April 2012, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor released a letter endorsing the concept of "Career Pathways" as a promising approach to address the country's challenge of how to prepare workers of all skill levels to participate fully in the country's economic future. The Departments defined Career Pathways as a series of connected education and training strategies and support services that enable individuals to secure industry relevant certification and obtain employment within an occupational area and to advance to higher levels of future education and employment in that area and encouraged the constituency of each Department to work together to create seamless systems that would result in workers gaining industry-recognized credentials and jobs with family-sustaining wages.

These standards were developed by the Workforce Solutions Collaborative for the City of Philadelphia, which has a high rate of unskilled workers compared to available unskilled jobs. The standards are separated into seven content areas and reflect best practices for high-quality basic skills programs aimed at increasing employment outcomes for individuals. In addition to the standards, a self-assessment tool is included which can be used to determine an agency's capacity to provide services and as a road map to create development plans for future use.

This toolkit provides self-assessment tools for programs seeking to enhance their bridge programs and other transitional services to adult learners. It provides three documents -- the first is the Team Survey, which measures program service usage as perceived by program staff. Next, a Service Usage Evaluation is included, which is designed to give an accurate picture of how services are actually being used. Finally, toolkit users complete a Service Improvement Plan to help prioritize any needed improvements to existing services.

This report was developed for workforce development professionals in the United Kingdom; however, it highlights career pathways and cluster programs in several States. From the profiles of the different programs, lessons learned and policy implications are drawn which are helpful to those in the U.S. wishing to replicate a career pathway model.

This practice brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) comes out of the ongoing evaluation of the five Tribal HPOG grantees, each of which was awarded a demonstration grant for a period of five years. Within the Tribal HPOG programs, supportive services are offered alongside the career pathways model used to train students for careers in the health care field. These services are a key component of the programs, as students often face multiple barriers to completing their training. This brief highlights the supports offered by the five programs and examines the similarities and differences among programs.

This toolkit, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a guide for States and localities interested in developing a career pathways initiative. The toolkit centers around six key elements that are essential to developing an initiative. Promising practices are highlighted, and specific tools are included in this step by step, user friendly resource for human service administrators.

Brookings Center on Children and Families and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity held an event on December 5, 2012 to examine the impact of the election on programs affecting the poor like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as the Earned Tax Credit (EITC). Answers to this and related questions were discussed by a panel of experts.