The U.S. economy is in a period of rapid evolution, driven by technological advancements like AI as well as changing local and regional needs. Leveraging and responding to these economic shifts will require a highly skilled workforce — yet skills gaps in the workforce have become more pronounced. 

For high school students, the wide range of available postsecondary options, combined with a lack of support in navigating those options, can make it difficult to determine an effective path forward. Inequities in access to career connected learning options, such as work-based learning, internships, or apprenticeships, only compound the challenges.

To address this gap, state-level education and workforce initiatives have increasingly focused on the development of career pathway programs. Career pathway programs provide students with formal academic and workforce experiences that are designed to build skills and content knowledge around a specific industry.  

By highlighting innovative strategies and successful models emerging from states leading the way, Pathways to Implementation: Building and Sustaining Effective Career Pathways uncovers valuable lessons and promising practices that can serve as a blueprint for states seeking to drive economic growth while helping students thrive in fulfilling work. 

Each brief in the seven-part series focuses on a single core element critical to strong policy and effective implementation of career pathways programs:  

• Element 1: Vision. Effective implementation begins with the collaborative development of a shared vision and intended goals associated with a policy change.  
• Element 2: Design. Effective career pathways require high-quality programming explicitly aligned with labor market needs or other policy imperatives (such as increasing economic mobility or the value of postsecondary credentials).  
• Element 3: Stakeholder Engagement. Effective implementation of career pathways requires the development of trusting relationships across, and authentic engagement with, stakeholders at all stages of the policy process.  
• Element 4: Resources. Effective career pathways development is contingent on the sustainable availability of funding from a wide range of public and private sources, including funding for the development of capacity in state agencies and program providers. 
• Element 5: Communications. Effective, ongoing state and local communication and coordination is necessary for translating career pathways policy into high-quality programming.  
• Element 6: Data. Data are a critical piece of understanding the efficacy of pathways programming; effective data collection and use requires a significant amount of coordination between state and local agencies and program providers. 
• Element 7: Continuous Improvement. Required reporting is only the first step in the data journey; effective programs ensure that gathered data is used for continuous program improvement, including adjustments to smooth out implementation. 

Each resource includes the following critical takeaways for those responsible for enacting and implementing these elements of career pathway programs:  

• Why the element is important for career pathways implementation; 
• What challenges associated with the element can hinder strong implementation;  
• Examples from states that have effectively implemented each element;  
• Key questions state policymakers and administrators can ask themselves, and their partners, during the implementation process.