Herdman: Career pathways are successful but how can we make them even better?

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Paul Herdman is the president and CEO of Rodel, a nonprofit organization working to transform public education in the First State. Also, he is the chair of strategic planning for the Delaware Workforce Development Board. This was first published by Rodel.

Delaware and its system of career pathways are the subject of a new case study presented by Bellwether.

As we’ve written before, Delaware Pathways has been recognized as one of the best systems in the country at preparing young people for life after graduation. Other states have looked to Delaware to learn lessons for their own students, as Bellwether points out in “Scaling Opportunity”:

  • Delaware’s steadfast public-private partnerships.
  • A clear vision, effective plan and strong leadership.
  • “Braided” funding strategy to maximize public and private funds.
  • Alignment between programs and workforce needs.
  • Rigor, flexibility and support throughout program.
  • Design and implementation.

The variety of stakeholders and their partners was not just a demonstration of goodwill in Delaware but offered tangible strategic implications. This cooperation opened up sources of funding that might have been closed to a single entity and engaged folks who might not have otherwise been brought to the table.

Those keys to success have enabled Delaware to enroll nearly half of all its high school students — over 23,000 of them — in a career pathway. Nearly a decade into Delaware Pathways’ implementation, student participation in the program has increased rapidly, and the programs of study have expanded from just one to over 20.

Delaware Pathways link education and workforce development efforts for youth and provide opportunities for youth to gain work experiences aligned with their career goals through a series of high-quality education programs that link to postsecondary education and careers. Programs and supports are available across Delaware’s local education agencies and a statewide workforce intermediary.

The intent is not to pigeonhole students into a single career but to help them make more informed choices about what they want to do next.

Students have felt the positive impacts of this approach in tangible ways.  Since 2018, Delaware saw:

  • A 6.6% increase in students enrolled in advanced coursework.
  • A 17.4% increase in dual enrollment participation.
  • A nearly 13% increase in seniors earning industry credentials.

While Pathways’ success is well documented, stakeholders are beginning to emerge with a vision for its immediate future.

As “Scaling Opportunity” points out, Delaware Pathways is at a crucial, post-COVID-19 inflection point similar to its inception in 2014, in the wake of the Great Recession.

We know there are employee shortages across every sector — from our core “enabling” sectors like education and health care — to our emerging, high-growth sectors like information technology and advanced manufacturing.

But, after the seismic shifts that COVID-19 wrought, here are a few key issue areas that Bellwether suggested Delaware could advance further:

  • Refresh Pathways’ governance model by reconvening relevant stakeholders more often and considering ways to bring in other stakeholders, such as parents or students.
  • Develop a renewed vision for Delaware Pathways and draft an accompanying strategic plan focused on program sustainability and accessibility.
  • Systematize ongoing data efforts to integrate data collection, analysis and reporting, as well as program iteration, into an annual cycle.
  • Address disparities in equitable access and completion rates using the data gathered.
  • Expand access to work-based learning by providing more information and advising for students, while involving employers more deeply.

Read “Scaling Opportunity: A Case Study on Delaware Pathways” at bellwether.org and also check out the companion, “A Policy Playbook for Effective Statewide Career Pathways Programs.”

To engage more deeply with Delaware Pathways, visit delawarepathways.org. Ready to engage with students and schools or offer work-based learning opportunities? Visit the Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.

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