The Career Pathways How-To Guide
Summary
Released by the Workforce Strategy Center (WSC), this report is the second in the “Pathways to Competitiveness” series. It sets out a step-by-step protocol for building career pathways at the local level and discusses how state-level officials can support these efforts. The report provides readers with a description of career pathways, breaks down the process of building career pathways partnerships as well as examines the roles that state leaders and agencies can play in cultivating partnerships. The report concludes with a look at lessons learned from the experiences of states and local agencies developing career pathways.
WSC developed a five-stage process for building career pathways which include the following stages: Gap Analysis, Career Pathways Planning, Implementation, Continuous Improvement and Expansion. In this report, detailed guidelines are provided for each stage and examples from actual partnerships are described. Additionally, the report looks at how states can promote progress of career pathways by setting forth a guiding vision, engaging and supporting local actors, breaking down silos within and between state agencies to encourage local cooperation, reallocating funding to support career pathways, and establishing a performance measurement system that fosters continuous improvement. Experiences from Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington are drawn upon to exhibit how states can effectively support the development of career pathways and provide lessons learned to others.
The guide is designed for a wide audience to include professionals in community colleges and workforce, social service, and economic development agencies who are looking to render their institutions more responsive to the needs of the individuals, employers and communities they serve. It is also intended for state agencies seeking to invest their public resources in career pathways. The guide has been classified in the P2P Resource Center as both a publication and a tool since it provides step-by-step guidance and case studies for states to utilize.
The final report in this series, Working Together: Aligning State Systems and Policies for Individual and Regional Prosperity, also accessible through the P2P Resource Center, focuses on issues relevant to state policymakers. The report defines the challenges facing policymakers and provides concrete ways that policymakers can align state policies and resources to support worker advancement.
Citation
Jenkins, D. & Spence, C. (2006, October). The Career Pathways How-To Guide. Workforce Strategy Center.
Retrieved From
http://www.workforcestrategy.org/images/pdfs/publications/WSC_howto_10.16.06.pdf