A Cross-Case Analysis of Career Pathway Programs that Link Low-Skilled Adults to Family-Sustaining Wage Careers
Summary
Released by the Office of Community College Research and Leadership(OCCRL) at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this study examines the following guiding research question: What programs, policies and practices, particularly curricular, institutional and support strategies, are currently being implemented to support the transition of low-skilled adults through career pathways that align with postsecondary career and technical education? The study investigates program and policy components as well as implementation strategies to provide insights into sustainability. The study, designed as a descriptive analysis of career pathway programs, interviewed 27 career pathway programs and conducted three site visits to Carreras en Salud—Instituto del Progreso Latino in Chicago, IL; General Service Technician—Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, WA; and Career Pathways Initiative—Ouachita Technical College, Ouachita, AR. Researchers began with a review of the literature, conducted interviews and collected data through site visits. According to the study, the selected career pathway programs demonstrated a clear commitment to enrolling and serving low-skilled adults and that leadership was evident at every site. All the sites operated with multiple partners that included employers, community-based organizations, chambers of commerce, state agencies, and industry groups. Relationships with these groups were critical to the programs sustainability. The programs all showed signs of growth, sustainability, and replication potential. This report presents the individual case studies for each selected career pathway, emergent themes that represent cross-case findings on career pathway policies and practices, and offers conclusions and implications for future policy and practice.
Citation
Bragg, D.D., Bremer, C.D., Castellano, M., Kirby, C., Mavis, A., Schaad, D., & Sunderman, J. (2007). A Cross-Case Analysis of Career Pathway Programs that Link Low-Skilled Adults to Family-Sustaining Wage Careers. University of Illinois, Office of Community College Research and Leadership.
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