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 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.

Aspen Institute's Workforce Strategies Initiative report highlights the numerous challenges adult learners face as they attempt to enter community college, persist to completing a certificate or degree, and successfully transition to employment. The report also provides various examples on how nonprofit organizations and community colleges have worked together to help adult learners overcome these challenges.

McKinsey & Company's Center for Government (MCG) released a report titled, "Education to Employment: Designing a System that Works." This report examines dual global crises, the high levels of youth unemployment, and a shortage of job seekers with critical skills. The report discusses how a country can resolve this issue and bring young people from education to employment, examining more than 100 education-to-employment initiatives from 25 countries. In addition to this, a survey of youth, education providers, and employers in nine countries that are diverse in geography and socioeconomic contexts is assessed. Lastly, the report focuses on skill development, giving special attention to the mechanisms that connect education to employment

ConnectEd released a video about the Exploring College and Career Options (ECCO) curriculum, developed by MDRC and Bloom Associates, which includes lessons and activities that help students prepare for college and careers that expose them to real-world experiences on college campuses and in the workplace.

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has released a guide for Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) in a report titled Navigating Federal Programs to Build Sustainable Career Pathways in the Health Professions. This report explains the requirements and performance accountability systems of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the workforce and adult education programs supported under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Titles I and II. The report also discusses specific strategies that States can use to overcome potential barriers caused by the disparate requirements of these programs.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) has recently released the Engaging Employers to Support Adult Career Pathways Programs issue brief as part of their ongoing effort to support the development of high-quality Adult Career Pathway (ACP) programs. The new issue brief provides strategies and promising practices that support States and programs tackling the issue of employer engagement.

CLASP has released an updated resource entitled, Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Funding Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to help interagency State teams identify and facilitate 'braiding' of Federal resources to build career pathways for adults and out-of-school youth. This new edition includes State and local examples and revised program profiles reflecting critical legislative and administrative changes to key Federal programs. A new appendix identifies ten Federal funding sources that can be used to provide a wide range of support services.