Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education
Summary
Released by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD), this report is an excerpt of the book Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education. The book aims to challenge educators, community leaders, and business people to work together in finding a solution and addressing the difficulties that prevents many U.S. citizens from obtaining the education that today’s workplace demands. The authors provide readers with practical strategies to develop career pathways for low-skill adults. Chapter 1 presents the scope and magnitude of the problem. Chapters 2 and 3 set forth a solution. Chapters 4–8 offer strategies, based on experiences and practices of community college leaders who are trying to address the problem. Chapter 9 considers the costs while Chapters 10 and 11 examine existing policies and programs at the federal and state levels. Chapter 12 explores the resources (both financial and “in-kind”) that must come from the private sector and from businesses and other organizations that stand to benefit from having adequate supplies of qualified workers in their communities. This report includes the prologue, epilogue, and an article from the 3rd chapter of the book. The author introduces the concept of an Adult Career Pathway (ACP) which is defined as “the guidance, remediation, curricula, and other support elements required to enable career-limited adults to enter the workforce and progress in rewarding careers.” The author proposes that ACP programs adopt a ladder curriculum/career ladder strategy that they believe can be applied to almost any career field if close cooperation is achieved between colleges and employers in the relevant career fields. The author also outlines the ten stages of the ACP ladder curriculum and the milestones that students should meet at each stage. The author provides readers with a graphical representation and detailed explanation of the ACP ladder curriculum, outlines the strategies to use in implementing adult career pathways, and examines foundations for designing a new curriculum plan. In the epilogue, the author returns to the scenario described in the prologue of a student who fails in the U.S public school system, to provide an example of how this individual was given a second chance through an ACP program.
Citation
Hull, D. M., & Hinckley, R. (2007). Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education. Center for Occupational Research and Development.
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