As the domestic labor market evolves and the demand for skilled talent intensifies, states across the country are charging ahead with engaging career-connected learning that integrates career exploration, skill-building, and work-based learning experiences.
The state efforts described below are proving to be effective in not only engaging students, but also preparing them for future success.
Colorado’s career-connected learning
Colorado has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to career-connected learning. All students develop Individual Career and Academic Plans in middle school. These plans are embedded in graduation requirements and guide course selection, credential attainment and postsecondary transitions.
The state’s Work-Based Learning Continuum guides career awareness through apprenticeships, supported through public-private partnerships like CareerWise Colorado— an effective model for youth apprenticeship. Students have the opportunity to work in high-demand industries such as IT, construction, healthcare and others, while earning both academic credit and income.
In addition, earlier this year, Gov. Jared Polis signed an important state executive order that aims to reimagine Colorado’s postsecondary talent development system, mandating cross-agency collaboration to align K–12, higher education and workforce policy to better prepare and align workforce preparation with the state’s needs and opportunities.
Indiana’s transferable credentials
Indiana is developing a comprehensive approach to better-preparing students for their futures by expanding opportunities for students to earn transferable and stackable credentials, as well as through high-quality work-based learning experiences.
Through its Graduation Pathways initiative, Indiana’s class of 2023 will be the first to personalize their graduation requirements with their future goals, whether those are employment, enrollment or military service.
The state’s K12 WBL Manual provides a framework that districts can adopt with support from a statewide “community of practice” around work-based learning. Through Work & Learn Indiana, an initiative of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, students can access a work-based learning matching marketplace that connects employers, those seeking a work-based learning experience, high schools, and colleges and universities.
Indiana’s Graduates Prepared to Succeed dashboard empowers educators by increasing transparency around key data points that support continuous improvement in student learning and future readiness. It provides families and community stakeholders with meaningful and relevant information about school performance and progress and highlights the most successful schools as models for replication.
Indiana also introduced Honors Plus Readiness Seals, which provide students with a pathway to employment, postsecondary education or military service through a clear articulation of requirements and specific and obtainable goals.
Massachusetts starts in middle school
Massachusetts is leveraging state requirements, purpose-built infrastructure and labor market alignment to implement a high-quality and equity-focused career-connected learning strategy. One example is MyCAP (My Career and Academic Plan), a state-required, student-centered planning process that starts in middle school and continues throughout high school.
MyCAP helps students set goals, select courses aligned with their objectives and engage in increasingly complex real-world experiences.
The state’s Career and Technical Education Frameworks, developed in alignment with labor market trends, require all district CTE programs to include work-based learning, career developmental experiences and opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials. For educators, the frameworks support them in building curricula for their programs that ensure the necessary skill development students need to succeed in their postsecondary pursuits.
Organized through 16 MassHire Workforce Boards, the Connecting Activities initiative connects employers and schools in supporting WBL and career development activities for students. Through Connecting Activities, students have access to different career opportunities aligned with labor market trends, which encourages relevant career skills development, offers career counseling, and provides experiential work-based learning.
Alabama’s cohesive pipeline
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey launched the Strong, Start Strong Finishinitiative to integrate Alabama’s early childhood education, K12 education and workforce development efforts into a cohesive education-to-workforce pipeline for all students.
Part of this effort is the new College & Career Readiness Indicator requirement and the state’s Workforce Diploma Pathway Graduation Option. The state has worked to break down silos by aligning three federal laws: the Every Student Succeeds Act; the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education; and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to coordinate requirements and consolidate resources.
The Two-Pronged Career Pathways Model (i.e., one prong for youth and one for adults) ensures that students are provided with concentrated programs to earn associate degrees, complete an apprenticeship and earn stackable, industry-recognized credentials by graduation.
The state also fosters innovation through WBL innovation grants, which can provide up to $30,000 per district to support locally responsive pilot projects. These grants allow districts to test solutions that meet regional workforce needs.
From a classroom perspective, Alabama’s Simulated Workplace initiative helps teachers transform CTE programs into mock businesses where students “apply” for roles, undergo performance reviews, and manage operations, which helps them build technical and professional skills.
Georgia
Georgia’s career-connected approach is both innovative and inclusive. For example, in partnership with the Georgia Vocational and Rehabilitation Agency and the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Division of the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Career and Technical Instruction initiative supports over 6,000 students with disabilities, producing outstanding success: a 90% graduation rate and 95% postsecondary success.
The state’s College and Career Ready Performance Index accountability system measures and rewards schools for advancing work-based learning and career-connected education. It measures indicators like the percent of 12th grade students completing an advanced academic, CTE, fine arts or world language pathway; passing an end-of-pathway assessment resulting in a national or state credential; or completing a work-based learning program.
The CTAE Advantage Dashboard, created by the Georgia Department of Education, provides simple, easy access to academic and workforce data at the state and district levels. The Georgia Career Information System serves over 625,000 students annually with career assessments, job search strategies and labor-market insights. The initiative also provides career development opportunities for elementary and middle school students in a fun and rewarding fashion.
Career-connected learning: Common characteristics
Many more states are undertaking impactful work in career-connected learning. The five states detailed above demonstrate that career-connected learning is a foundational component of engaging students and connecting learning to the world beyond the classroom.
These state strategies have some common characteristics, including:
- Starting early with career planning and exploration
- Embedding WBL into graduation pathways, not simply offering it as a one-off
- Aligning policy and funding across K–12, higher ed, and workforce systems to remove barriers and increase system coherence
- Using data dashboards and metrics to track progress and promote transparency
- Empowering local projects to create meaningful engagement for students.
Education leaders can build on the examples above to build and invest in systems that ensure every student graduates with purpose and preparation. With specific career-connected learning frameworks, personalized career planning, effective public-private partnerships and systems of support, these states are showing how school can be more than just getting a diploma—it can be a launching pad for life.
