Rural community colleges serve as engines of economic opportunity and equity, offering students place-based programs and pathways that lead to good jobs. They also develop dynamic and responsive industry partnerships, to ensure their workforce education and training curriculum, programs, and transfer pathways meet the needs of local employers and…

This study examines vocational schools (VS) collaborative ventures, focusing on the VS Center of Excellence and its partnerships with local industries. The research explores how these collaborations shape a skilled workforce by investigating the Link and Match policy's impact. Specifically studying machining engineering and construction in East…

As the new Westminster Government shines a light on growth as well as devolution, it is time to ask what contribution can be made by regional groupings of universities. This paper considers the role of university collaborative groupings and how they interact with other groups, such as pan-regional partnerships and private sector boards. It draws…

This guide will delve into the current landscape of state-funded STEM-focused internships and work-based learning opportunities available to high school students in Massachusetts. By examining these programs in detail, the aim is to highlight the specific learning opportunities they provide, the types of industry partnerships they promote, and the…

The United States is in the midst of a profound transformation the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Industrial Revolution, when America's classical colleges adapted to meet the needs of an emerging industrial economy. Today, as the world shifts to an increasingly interconnected knowledge economy, the intersecting forces of technological…

When employers and learners achieve a shared understanding of what skills are needed for the jobs of the future and how those skills are counted and valued in the hiring process, learners make more informed decisions about a path to success in the career of their choice, and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs are more responsive to industry…

In the United States, apprenticeships have traditionally been considered the purview of the construction industry and a handful of other trades. But recent interest in developing nontraditional career paths has led to an expansion of apprenticeships into industries such as healthcare, childcare, advanced manufacturing, public safety, hospitality,…

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) playbook series has explored strategies and processes states can use to strengthen CTE program quality and provide students with pathways to postsecondary credentialing and middle- and higher-wage career opportunities. This fifth playbook in the series addresses the final set of steps for strengthening…

Opportunity America received a grant from Lumina Foundation to conduct a national research study of community colleges' credit and noncredit occupational education programs and their relationships with employers. Opportunity America contracted with Wilder Research to manage data collection and analysis for the study. The purpose of this study was…

In March 2020, Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) convened a Shared Solutions Workgroup of state and national experts to explore strategies for effective Career Technical Education (CTE) data reporting and communication. Over a series of meetings, the workgroup co-designed a set of tools and resources to help…

Research conducted by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), Fab Foundation and FHI 360, in partnership with more than 150 national and international experts and leaders from 28 states, found that to prepare their future workforces, governors and state leaders must develop a comprehensive agenda made up of three…

The Certification Data Exchange Project (CDEP) was launched in 2012 to provide a model for sharing industry-recognized credential attainment data. Increasingly, employers and education leaders are recognizing the value of industry credentials to verify the knowledge, skills and abilities that students bring to the workforce. As states take steps…

Every person deserves the opportunity for dignified employment that provides living wages and potential for advancement. However, for many in America today, this is far from reality, as they are caught in a cycle of low-wage work, earning poverty wages, and unable to move up in the economy. Local leaders, firms, and workers need to adapt quickly…

In its first Career and Technical Education (CTE) playbook, "Putting Career and Technical Education to Work for Students" (see ED609912), ExcelinEd examined the need and rationale for strengthening statewide CTE programs and provided a process that state policymakers can undertake to do just that. Serious efforts to develop and…

The authors look at the roles that vocations, vocational streams and productive capabilities can play in improving links between mid-level qualifications and occupational outcomes. Support for vocational streams and productive capabilities varied by industry but there is the potential to progress these concepts in each of the industries…