This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report reviews the early impact and initial findings of the Health Careers for All program, one of nine career pathways programs evaluated under the Pathways for Advanced Careers and Education (PACE) study. The study identifies the percentage increase of participants enrolling in healthcare-related training over an 18-month period.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report reviews the Carreras en Salud program, established by Instituto del Progreso Latino, a nonprofit organization in Chicago, Illinois. This program strives to help low-income Latinos improve their basic skills and enroll in occupational training for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) jobs. Evaluation findings show that the program succeeded in engaging and enrolling students and helped them advance to higher-level training and secure employment in the healthcare field.

This Committee for Economic Development report reviews three tools that address increasing pathways for employment for individuals who do not earn a bachelor’s degree. These tools include models for career navigation and improved career counseling, expansion of apprenticeship programs, and the increased use of competency-based hiring and assessment, rather than relying solely on levels of educational attainment.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration presents two podcasts that support how Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) can engage with employers and businesses in their advisory capacity. This advisory role supports WDBs as they create sector strategies and develop demand-driven career pathways. Additional toolkits and handouts, which focus on board engagement, strategic planning, and program development, are also outlined.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), held the Policy Academy for Innovative Employment Strategies (PAIES) Kickoff Meeting in Arlington, Virginia on January 7-9, 2019. Through PAIES, state teams receive 18 months of coaching and technical assistance to help design, plan, and implement innovative and comprehensive approaches to increase employment outcomes for TANF participants through coaching and career pathways. Working with ACF staff, local evaluators, and other partners, coaching teams work to move from traditional case management models to coaching models in local TANF programs, and career pathways teams strive to improve career pathways through the provision of training, work experience, and support services.  

The PAIES kickoff meeting provided an in-person opportunity for coaching and career pathways teams from across the U.S. to meet with each other, their coaches, subject matter experts, and federal and contract staff. Objectives of the meeting were to: share promising and research-informed practices in coaching, career pathways, organizational culture, and change management; discuss key levers and processes to implement, evaluate, and monitor PAIES activities; support dedicated team times, peer exchanges, and expert consultations to inform action planning; and lay the foundation for team work over the course of PAIES with coaching, expert consultation, and other supports.

 

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report reviews the implementation and initial impact of career pathways strategies under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) evaluation study. It also examines the effects of career pathway programs on participants for up to 18 months following entry into the PACE program.

This Jobs for the Future report identifies how rural community colleges offer academic and non-academic support for adult and non-traditional learners’ college retention and completion. While important for all first-generation students and adult learners, these supports are typically less available within rural communities as a result of distance and fewer institutional resources.

This Jobs for the Future report profiles the Opportunity Works program, a national effort to create postsecondary education and career pathways for over 2,000 out-of-school and out-of-work youth. The research in this report identifies four strategies for program success: place community-based organizations at the center, locate the “sweet spot” of a guiding model, provide excellent programming, and plan for program sustainability from the beginning.

This Jobs for the Future research report describes how short-term apprenticeship programs can be integrated into a full career ladder. It identifies how shorter apprenticeships (18 months or less) might represent stackable rungs on the career ladder, compared to more traditional apprenticeship programs that are longer in length. The report includes recommendations for employers as well as government to support expanding stackable apprenticeships.

This Center for Law and Social Policy issue brief describes how career pathways have a shared definition under Perkins V, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and the Higher Education Act. The relationship between career pathways and programs of study is discussed; this important relationship ties training and education to meet the needs of learners as they seek to enter and advance in jobs that require credentialing.