KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Actively contribute time, resources, and expertise to the pathways design process and to the implementation of all key components of pathways.

• Participate on a cross-sector regional pathways leadership team and performs duties that are consistent with membership in that group, including contributing to regional goals and strategic plans.

• Develop, sign, and implement formal agreements (e.g., memorandum of understanding, or MOU, agreements) and processes to drive coordination and alignment across institutions and organizations.

• Share data with cross-sector partners to monitor implementation and outcomes.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Provide input on the competencies, skills, and credentials required to meet their talent needs. 

• Engage in the process of reverse mapping pathways from industry to postsecondary to K-12 to ensure that students develop the skills and competencies they need to succeed in careers.

• Provide details on current and forecasted job openings.

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Provide feedback to secondary and post-secondary institutions to ensure that all certifications and degrees embedded in pathways will have labor market value.

• Update and align job descriptions to include credentials and degrees offered via pathway programs. 

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Advise on industry standards and practices and work with educators to provide externship opportunities for teachers and counselors.

• Contribute to developing essential industry competencies, including both technical and employability skills, to inform education curriculum.

Effective Advising

• Contribute to the design of and participate in the implementation of activities (e.g., career fairs, classroom guest speakers) along the college and career advising continuum. 

• Support the development of regional pathway maps and ensure teachers and counselors are equipped with information to promote pathway opportunities that lead to in-demand jobs.

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• Design and implement, in collaboration with all cross-sector partners, a structured, sequenced continuum of WBL experiences that are aligned with the pathway.

• Collaborate with regional convener and education partners to design WBL experiences that support student progress toward learning outcomes and are assessed to determine students’ attainment of academic, technical, and employability skills.

• Participate in and offer WBL activities and experiences, such as job shadowing, and internships, designed to expand the boundaries of the classroom and prepare students for future career opportunities. 

• Collaborate with regional convener to design and develop resources such as student assessments and training materials for employees who will supervise students. 

• Participate in industry advisory councils to develop sector strategies for WBL.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Convene and lead a team composed of the grant administrator, K-12 districts, postsecondary education, workforce, industry, and community-based organizations to implement regional pathways aligned to targeted industries.

• Lead regular team meetings (recommendation- monthly, at a minimum- quarterly) that discuss progress against goals and address pathways implementation challenges.

• Coordinate with the grant administrator to track and monitor all grant activities, collect evaluation data, and complete all grant performance reporting requirements.

• Develop pathway implementation goals, with input from partners. 

• Develop a sustainability plan that addresses partnerships, roles, funding, and process for succession planning to ensure ongoing implementation of regional pathways aligned to targeted industries.

• Understand existing pathways-related education and workforce development programs and initiatives in the region and align them with pathways implementation. 

• Develop MOUs and processes to support work across institutions and organizations.

• Provide support to all regional partners as needed to ensure high-quality implementation of all components of pathways aligned to targeted industries.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Support the development of a process that engages educators, employers, and workforce in keeping pathways implementation updated to meet the needs of evolving regional labor market.

• Support the process of reverse-mapping pathways from the labor market to related education programs by convening stakeholders and coordinating across the targeted industries.

Links Between Secondary and Postsecondary

• Facilitate effective collaboration among educators, supporting seamless transitions from secondary to postsecondary.

• Support partnerships among local education agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs), including creating or updating MOUs.

• Collaborate with LEAs and IHEs to develop structures and processes (e.g., working groups made up of secondary and postsecondary educators) that strengthen links between secondary and postsecondary education.

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Support collaboration among educators and employers to identify credentials that support workforce entry or advancement, and work to embed these credentials in pathways aligned to targeted industries.

• Engage in process through which employers provides LEAs and IHEs with feedback on certifications embedded in pathways.

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Facilitate collaboration among educators and employers to develop strategies for embedding career-focused learning and connecting core academics to competencies aligned to the targeted industries.

• Provide guidance for crosswalk development, such as including a mix of advanced academic and career and technical education courses.

• Support teacher externship programs that increase educators’ knowledge of industry standards.

• Support education partners in embedding career exploration and advising into curriculum.

Effective Advising

• Support coordination and collaboration among educators, employers, and workforce, and make connections to existing advising programs and initiatives.

• Design and implement, in collaboration with K-12 and IHE partners, a continuum of structured activities and experiences that provides all students in regional pathways aligned to targeted industries with a clear understanding of their college and career options and the steps required to achieve them.

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• • Collaboratively design a sequence of work-based learning experiences aligned to the Tri-Agency Work-Based Learning Framework.

  • Lead coordinated efforts among LEAs, IHEs, and employers to broker and aggregate work-based learning opportunities aligned to the targeted industries.

  • Manage logistics, including navigating legal and liability issues, brokering and aggregating work-based learning opportunities across the region, executing agreements between employers and schools, and aggregating and analyzing data to monitor outcomes.

  • Recruit employer partners to increase work-based learning opportunities.

  • Provide support to employers, including assistance in designing experiences, developing job descriptions, training supervisors, and developing performance evaluation templates.

  • Provide support to educators, including establishing preparation activities for work-based learning, matching students with available opportunities, making connections with curricula, and assessing student learning and skill development.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Actively contribute time, resources, and expertise to the pathways design process and to the implementation of all key components of pathways.

• Participate on a cross-sector pathways leadership team and perform duties that are consistent with membership of that group, including contributing to regional goals and strategic plans.

• Develop, sign and implement formal agreements (e.g., MOUs) and processes to drive coordination and alignment across institutions and organizations.

• Share data with cross-sector partners to monitor implementation and outcomes.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Use regional labor market information (LMI) and employer input to design programs of study in in-demand industries.

• Engage in the process of reverse mapping pathways from industry to postsecondary to K-12 to ensure that students develop the skills and competencies they need to succeed in careers.

• Ensure that programs of study are cross-walked and aligned with postsecondary programs to support seamless transitions for students in pathways.

• Develop a sequence of defined courses from an initial credential through a bachelor’s degree or advanced credential to illustrate a clear plan for stackable credentials.

Links Between Secondary and Postsecondary

• Collaborate with secondary educators on the design of aligned programs of study, curriculum, and degree plans that incorporate opportunities for students to earn dual credit and access appropriate developmental education strategies.

• Lead the design of bridge, acceleration, and/or remediation initiatives in partnership with secondary education to support transitions and address gaps in academic coursework.

• Work with secondary education and other institutions of higher education to develop and implement transfer and articulation agreements that extend pathways from secondary into a range of postsecondary options, including level 1 and 2 certificates, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees. 

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Embed credentials with value in the labor market in programs of study and provide students with the supports needed to earn available credentials.

• Ensure that embedded credentials are stackable and portable, creating on- and off-ramps for students at multiple points along the pathway. 

• Develop and implement a process to regularly review and revise credentials to maintain alignment with regional labor market demand.

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Partner with secondary educators on the design and delivery of advanced academic programs such as dual credit.

• Design pathways that prepare students for multiple postsecondary opportunities, starting with industry-based certifications and progressing to level 1 and 2 certificates, associate’s degrees,and bachelor’s degrees.

Effective Advising

• Design and implement, in collaboration with a regional convener or pathways team facilitator and secondary education partners, a continuum of structured activities and experiences that bridges secondary and postsecondary and provides all students in pathways with a clear understanding of their college and career options and the steps required to achieve them. 

• Define student milestones within the college and career information and advising continuum and plans for how educators will help students achieve those milestones. 

• Coordinate with secondary school advisers to ensure that college and career pathway guidance provides options with multiple entry and exit points, fulfills transfer and articulation requirements, and leads to college and career readiness.

• Develop and ensure staff capacity for intensive and sustained college and career advising.

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• Design and implement, in collaboration with all cross-sector partners, a sequenced continuum of WBL experiences that are aligned with the pathway.

• Integrate WBL programs into academic and advising structures and prepare students to participate in WBL opportunities.

• Collaborate with regional convener to identify WBL opportunities and place students in them. 

• Collaborate with regional convener, employers, and other educators to design WBL experiences that support student progress toward learning outcomes and are assessed to determine students’ attainment of academic, technical, and employability skills.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Convene and lead a team composed of secondary education, postsecondary education, workforce, industry, and community-based organizations to develop pathway infrastructure that serves the entire workforce development area.

• Lead regular pathways leadership team meetings (recommendation- monthly, at a minimum- quarterly) that include staff from, at a minimum, the regional convener organization, regional education service center, workforce board, and institutions

• of higher education. Leadership teams may also include staff from community-based organizations and employers.

• Conduct and maintain an asset map and gap analysis to document existing pathways-related education and workforce

• development programs and initiatives in the region and align them with regional pathways work.

• Lead strategic planning and vision setting including regional goals and metrics, implementation plans, and roles and

• responsibilities, with input from partners.

• Develop a sustainability plan for the regional convener that addresses partnerships, roles, funding, and process for

• succession planning.

• Develop and maintain regional data infrastructure to track and monitor pathways metrics across the region.

• Develop MOUs and processes to support work across institutions and organizations.

• Serve as a hub for resources and information to ensure high-quality pathway implementation, offering technical assistance opportunities to partners.

• Lead the workforce development area in these four leadership areas: strategic pathways alignment, work-based learning, pathways infrastructure, and communications.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Conduct landscape analysis to determine targeted industries using labor market information and local context from employers and workforce partners.

• Lead the development of a process that engages educators, employers, and workforce in keeping pathways updated to meet the needs of evolving regional labor markets.

• Support the process of reverse-mapping pathways from the labor market to related education programs by convening stakeholders and coordinating across sectors.

Links Between Secondary and Postsecondary

• • Facilitate partnerships and effective collaboration among secondary and postsecondary educators by developing processes and structures that strengthen links (e.g., leading working groups, creating MOUs).

  • Offer technical assistance in key areas such as dual credit and the development of course crosswalks.

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Support coordination and collaboration among educators and employers to identify credentials that support workforce entry or advancement.

• Manage process through which employers provide LEAs and IHEs with feedback on certifications embedded in pathways.

• Use research from asset map and gap analysis to determine new credentials that should be offered or updates to existing credential programs.

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Facilitate collaboration among educators and employers to develop strategies for embedding career-focused learning and connecting core academics to industry competencies.

• Provide guidance for crosswalk development, such as including a mix of advanced academic and career and technical education courses.

• Support teacher externship programs that increase educators’ knowledge of industry standards.

• Support education partners in embedding career exploration and advising into curriculum.

• Develop regional communications that demonstrate the importance of all students participating in both advanced academics and CTE coursework.

Effective Advising

• Support coordination and collaboration among educators, employers, and workforce, and make connections to existing advising programs and initiatives.

• Design and implement, in collaboration with K-12 and IHE partners, a continuum of structured activities and experiences that provides all students in pathways with a clear understanding of their college and career options and the steps required to achieve them.

• Develop regional communication materials that support students’ and their families’ understanding of pathways and targeted industries.

• Support collaboration between K-12 and workforce by deploying career and education outreach specialists, who are employed by the workforce board and work within the schools.

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• Develop a regional work-based learning implementation strategy and sequence of experiences that are aligned to the Tri-Agency Work-Based Learning Framework.

• Evaluate, monitor, and support quality regional work-based learning across multiple partners aligned to targeted industries.

• Manage logistics, including navigating legal and liability issues, brokering and aggregating work-based learning opportunities across the region, executing agreements between employers and schools, developing a platform to share opportunities, and aggregating and analyzing data to monitor outcomes.

• Recruit employer partners to grow and scale work-based learning.

• Provide support to employers, including assistance in designing experiences, developing job descriptions, training supervisors, and developing performance evaluation templates.

• Provide support to educators, including establishing preparation activities for work-based learning, matching students with available opportunities, making connections with curricula, and assessing student learning and skill development.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Actively contribute time, resources, and expertise to the pathways design process and to the implementation of all key components of pathways.

• Participate on a cross-sector pathways leadership team and performs duties that are consistent with membership of that group, including contributing to regional goals and strategic plans.

• Develop, sign and implement formal agreements (e.g., MOUs) and processes to drive coordination and alignment across institutions and organizations.

• Share data with cross-sector partners to monitor implementation and outcomes.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Use regional labor market information (LMI) and employer input to design programs of study in in-demand industries.

• Engage in the process of reverse mapping pathways from industry to postsecondary to K-12 to ensure that students develop the skills and competencies they need to succeed in careers.

• Ensure that programs of study are cross-walked and aligned with postsecondary programs to support seamless transitions for students in pathways.

Links Between Secondary and Postsecondary

• Collaborate with postsecondary educators on the design of aligned programs of study and degree plans that incorporate opportunities for students to earn dual credit and access appropriate developmental education strategies.

• Develop bridge, acceleration, and remediation initiatives in partnership with postsecondary education to support transitions and address gaps in academic coursework.

• Work with institutions of higher education to develop transfer or articulation agreements from secondary to postsecondary programs. 

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Embed credentials with value in the labor market in programs of study and provide students with the supports needed to earn available credentials.

• Ensure that embedded credentials are stackable and portable, creating on- and off-ramps for students at multiple points along the pathway. 

• Develop and implement a process to regularly review and revise credentials to maintain alignment with regional labor market demand.

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Develop curricula and structures to support integration.

• Create pathways at the high school level that include advanced academics (i.e., dual credit, early college, AP, and/or IB) and are consistent with approved programs of study. 

• Design pathways that prepare students for multiple postsecondary opportunities, starting with industry-based certifications and progressing to level 1 and 2 certificates, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. 

• Develop teacher externship programs that increase educators’ knowledge of industry standards.

Effective Advising

• Design and implement, in collaboration with a regional convener or pathways team facilitator and postsecondary partners, a continuum of structured activities and experiences that bridges secondary and postsecondary and provides all students in pathways with a clear understanding of their college and career options and the steps required to achieve them. 

• Define student milestones within the college and career information and advising continuum and plans for how educators will help students achieve those milestones. 

• Support all students in developing, no later than 8th grade, individualized plans that identify career goals and include the sequences of classes and activities (e.g., advising, work-based learning) needed to achieve them.

• Develop and ensure staff capacity for intensive and sustained college and career advising. 

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• Design and implement, in collaboration with all cross-sector partners, a structured, sequenced continuum of WBL experiences that is aligned with the pathway.

• Integrate WBL programs into academic and advising structures and prepare students to participate in WBL opportunities.

• Collaborate with regional convener to identify WBL opportunities and place students in them. 

• Collaborate with regional convener, employers, and other educators to design WBL experiences that support student progress toward learning outcomes and are assessed to determine students’ attainment of academic, technical, and employability skills.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

• Actively contribute time, resources, and expertise to the pathways design process and to the implementation of all key components of pathways.

• Participate on a cross-sector regional pathways leadership team and performs duties that are consistent with membership in that group, including contributing to regional goals and strategic plans.

• Develop, sign, and implement formal agreements (e.g., memorandum of understanding, or MOU, agreements) and processes to drive coordination and alignment across institutions and organizations.

• Share data with cross-sector partners to monitor implementation and outcomes.

• Participate in coordinated employer engagement efforts and support building connections between industry and education partners.

Alignment with Labor Market Demand

• Provide regional labor market information and analysis to inform the development, design, and implementation of pathways.

• Engage with employer partners to vet labor market information to ensure analysis accurately reflects industry needs.

• Engage in the process of reverse mapping pathways from industry to postsecondary to K-12 to ensure that students develop the skills and competencies they need to succeed in careers.

Credentials with Value in the Labor Market

• Provide real-time data on in-demand credentials.

• Provide feedback to secondary and post-secondary institutions to ensure that all certifications and degrees embedded in pathways will have labor market value.

Integration of Rigorous Academics and Career-Focused Learning 

• Make connections between education partners and employers and leverage workforce funding to support educator externships.

• Contribute to developing essential industry competencies, including both technical and employability skills, to inform education curriculum.

• Facilitate connections between educators and employers to support career-focused learning through opportunities such as project-based learning, where coursework is connected to real industry challenges.

Effective Advising

• Support educators in developing strategies for sharing labor marketing information with students.

• Deploy education outreach specialists to coordinate advising strategies and activities with education partners.

• Develop resources that support career awareness for students and their families, such as industry overviews and job profiles.

Continuum of Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences

• Design and implement, in collaboration with all cross-sector partners, a structured, sequenced continuum of WBL experiences that is aligned with the pathway.

• Collaborate with regional convener, employers, and education partners to design WBL experiences that support student progress toward learning outcomes and are assessed to determine students’ attainment of academic, technical, and employability skills.

• Manage funding streams that support WBL and support aligning WBL offerings with regional employer talent needs.

• Convene industry advisory councils to develop sector strategies for WBL.