In today's labor market, students increasingly need greater levels of postsecondary education and training to enter or advance in many industries. Meanwhile, employers are calling for the education system to better align with industry needs, as their demands for a skilled workforce continue to rise. In response to the increasing emphasis for postsecondary institutions to prepare students for family-sustaining employment in high-growth, in-demand industries, community colleges are employing a number of strategies to meet the needs of both job seekers and employers. Many of these strategies are found within career and technical education (CTE) programs, and they are also present in broader workforce development activities and supports offered by community colleges. The career pathways approach, as defined under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and reinforced under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), has become widely used in education and workforce development. Because of the emphasis on career pathways in CTE programs for the past decade and the availability of rigorous evaluation results on this topic, this practice guide is focused on community college-based CTE interventions through the lens of career pathways. This guide draws upon studies of interventions that include one or more of the career pathways components defined under the WIOA. It focuses on promising interventions where there is evidence of improved educational or labor market outcomes. This guide provides community colleges with five specific recommendations for supporting occupational skills training through career pathways.
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