Few, if any, educational institutions or training programs can meet all the demands of a career pathway program on their own.{{Illinois Community College Board, “Expanding Career Pathway Opportunities in Adult Education: Strategic Directions for Illinois,” 2018, https://www.iccb.org/iccb/wp-content/pdfs/adulted/strategic_plan/ICCB_Adult_Education_Strategic_Plan_2018-2023.pdf. }} Instead, goals are achieved through partnerships within a system. In addition to the benefits cited elsewhere in this chapter, career pathways focus on bridging the gaps that can form between a worker’s skills and career opportunities by aligning and leveraging the resources already in place to support their employability. Participants may move between the public workforce system, high schools, their current workplace, post-secondary institutions, or apprenticeships as they build from an industry credential to a certificate or degree to new job opportunities. Along the way, providers incorporate employers’ skill needs and support services to ensure that participants can attain meaningful progression over time. The value of a system approach is that it connects all relevant public resources with private and nonprofit partners.

The success of a career pathway approach depends on collaborative leadership, commitment, and investment from all regional stakeholders — especially the private sector. Federal legislation enacted in 2014 with bipartisan support, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA), codifies a robust definition for career pathways and designates local workforce boards as conveners for coordinating these pathways as a system. Regional coordination — particularly through the WIOA state and local plans — helps to integrate resources, policies, data, and performance measures across various entities to sustain high quality career pathways. Other implementers can demonstrate leadership in developing a shared vision and coordinated efforts when appropriate, including business associations, chambers of commerce, or community colleges.

Establishing a regional career pathway system offers several benefits. Greater coordination can improve program quality and reduce duplication, overlap, and underutilized capacity across existing programs. Consistent data sharing and accountability can clarify the connectivity between programs and support co-enrollment or articulation agreements. Well-organized evaluations and needs assessments help to align programs with both partners and regional economic development priorities.

Illinois is already a national leader in developing systems at the state and regional levels. The state participates in the Center for Law and Social Policy’s national Alliance for Quality Career Pathways, and has launched the Workforce Readiness through Apprenticeships and Pathways and Illinois 60 by 25 Network initiatives. Further coordination is necessary to ensure regional resources and structures can properly support existing and emerging career pathway programs as they tackle needs in their communities.

Action 1

Enhance partnerships for a regional career pathway system and assist partners in its implementation.

Implementers

Government, business and civic leaders, educational institutions, and other regional actors

Action 2

Strengthen alignment and service integration across core WIOA agencies and required partners to support development of career pathway programs and provision of support services.

Implementers

Workforce funders

Action 3

Collaborate with state and regional partners to pursue integrated service delivery that can reduce duplication and improve delivery of services.

Implementers

Education and workforce providers

Action 4

Establish transition frameworks to enable multiple entry points into post-secondary education and to support students’ progression toward industry-recognized credentials, sustained employment, and career advancement.

Implementers

Education and workforce providers, in partnership with workforce funders and employers

Action 5

Develop integrated data systems to evaluate career pathway models and to ensure programs are responsive to local and regional goals, labor market needs, employer feedback, and unified plans.

Implementers

Education and workforce providers, in partnership with workforce funders

Action 6

Identify and scale programs that reduce barriers for adult learners in accessing appropriate educational programs and employment opportunities.

Implementers

Education and training providers, in partnership with workforce funders