Recently, enrollments at numerous American universities have been trending downward. This has led to an increasingly competitive atmosphere for attracting new students, creating the need to better understand why students ultimately attend their chosen institution. Prior research has explored factors that influence students to pursue agricultural…

In Vietnam, some universities develop a similar program to a practicum or an internship called an on-the-job training (OJT) program. However, this concept appears to be quite new to students, and its impacts on students' learning and growth remain under-researched. The current study explores how OJT programs impact students' future careers and…

This paper investigates to what extent the returns to a PhD depend upon the region of birth and the place of work. We examine the career paths of eastern and western German PhD graduates and estimate the returns to obtaining a job suited to their skill level and with high wages. Our data set combines information on graduates and their place of…

The expectation that tertiary education leads to employment is one that most commencing students hold. A problem arises when there is a gap between the knowledge and skills students expect to acquire and the knowledge and skills course designers and teachers expect students to develop. The present study interviewed 22 first year students and 12…

"Career Pathways" is a framework that combines education, occupational training, and support services that align with the skill demands of the local economy to help participants enter and advance in a sequence of occupations within a specific sector or occupational cluster. Career pathways programs seek to address many of the challenges…

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Powered by Publics (PxP) Equity Roundtable initiative brought students and administrators together to participate in roundtable discussions to capture barriers related to access, success, and career pathways for historically underrepresented students in higher education. The roundtables were…

This dissertation researches the barriers encountered and resiliency learned for Black administrators on their path to becoming superintendents in California. Using critical race theory as the lens of the conceptual framework, this research used a qualitative method. The research questions inquired about how the barriers of mentorship, career…

The project's primary goal was to develop, test, and disseminate a model workforce development curriculum for Cooperative Extension Professionals (CEPs). The curriculum, which we have named Future Opportunities for Rural Workforce and Rural Development (FORWARD), is designed to support CEPs working to address workforce development issues in rural…

Discriminatory "bamboo ceiling" narratives have been observed to perpetuate historical disparities in career paths (e.g., colonial messages of nursing as the predominant career for Filipino Americans). Certain healthcare careers are then seen as unattainable or culturally unacceptable. More research is needed to explore how racism may…

This exploratory study analyzed disconnects that contribute to preventing water management organizations from offering vocational courses to southeast Texas school district students. Opportunities offered through legislative support and community services give school districts access to resources and training to prepare students for careers in the…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) plays a vital role in preparing students for the workforce and postsecondary success. This Spotlight explores innovative approaches to CTE, highlighting strategies for expanding access to college-level coursework and real-world learning experiences. From developing effective career pathway models to integrating…

The teaching profession is in peril. Teacher recruitment and teacher retention are issues that have compounded the teacher shortage crisis, particularly in Black and Latinx communities. This study focused on a vehicle by which to recruit people into the profession while in middle and/or high school, known as pre-collegiate Grow Your Own teacher…

Over the three decades since Grantmakers for Education was established, numerous sociopolitical and economic factors have influenced approaches to and conditions of education, and others will continue to shape the current educational system. Within a dynamic context, the latest survey findings highlight five trends having a cross-cutting impact on…

This appendix provides summaries of work for Research Challenge Grant (RCG) partnerships. Each partner section includes a theory of change and a summary of impact. There are thirteen partners included in this appendix.

The globally expanding doctoral education and the diminishing availability of academic job opportunities have prompted an increasing proportion of PhD graduates to seek employment beyond academia, drawing a growing scholarly interest. However, the existing literature on doctoral career pathways tends to be fragmented and dispersed, given the…