Quentin Suffren is the Senior Advisor of Innovation Policy for ExcelinEd.
Across states, there is considerable—and justifiable—political and economic momentum behind expanding career pathways for students and young adults. Indeed, it’s one of the rare bipartisan issues in education right now. (We hope it stays that way.)
In reality, it’s an evolving concept. In decades past, this term might have conveyed vocational training—typically at the secondary level—that prepared graduates for jobs in the trades or other careers that were not on the college track. Some were good jobs, to be sure. But there was also a darker rationale behind these vocational education pathways: that these jobs were for students who weren’t considered to be college material—a judgment often grounded in racial, gender and/or economic bias.
Times have changed for the better. Career and technical education (CTE) programs have made strides to shed the stigma of vocational education and added more pathways aligned to middle- and higher- wage careers. (We are especially interested in seeing state CTE programs provide a strong foundation for these efforts.)
Business and industry representatives have become more increasingly involved in determining what those pathways should be and require, in terms of preparation and credentials. And policymakers and educators are in stronger agreement that academic education and workforce training can be combined in schools and colleges (and applied in real-world contexts) for mutual benefit.
But there is more to be done. Many states and regions still need to take bold action to scale development of and access to pathways aligned to a wider range of high-wage, high-skill careers.
For instance, K-12 systems and postsecondary institutions need to align their programs more closely to industry demand. Businesses need to do a better job of realistically articulating the skills required to succeed in open positions (as opposed to defaulting to a bachelor’s degree, for instance). And all parties need to work together to provide parents and students with more information about potential career options related to student interests and labor market data. Meanwhile, the steady drumbeat of predictions about automation and artificial intelligence as disruptive forces portend a not-so-distant future in which all learners and workers will need to be more digitally savvy and adaptable to re-skill and access opportunities not yet even in existence.
Even with these challenges ahead, the very notion of “career pathways” for policymakers and educators now implies expanded future opportunities for learners, not more limited ones.
So back to the term itself. Below is both a definition along with a list of assumptions—and in some cases, aspirations—we hold for “career pathways.”
Career pathways typically refer to a sequential and progressive set of coursework, experiences and credentials that:
Depending on the region or state, these may be much more aspiration than assumption. However, it’s worth articulating as both, if only to jumpstart necessary conversations and support state efforts to strengthen long-term opportunities for students.
For more on career pathways and career and technical education, visit ExcelinEd’s College & Career Pathways page.
