Building Better Programs

Farther, Faster: Six Promising Career Pathway Programs

Career pathways provide a framework for mapping education and job opportunities in an industry or occupational cluster. They offer a series of education and training programs and support services that enable individuals to get jobs in specific industries and advance over time by successfully completing higher levels of education and work. Career pathways provide a way for colleges to give students more clarity and structure in occupational programs. Research on community college students finds that many are bewildered by the complexity of choices they face in postsecondary education. This brief highlights six promising programs that show how career pathway bridges help lower-skilled students move farther and faster along college and career paths through dual enrollment in linked basic skills and occupational certificate courses. Because creating such bridges requires collaboration across college silos, they can also transform the way colleges operate.

CLASP – Farther, Faster: Six Promising Career Pathway Programs Show How Career Pathway Bridges Help Basic Skills Students Earn Credentials That Matter