How We Can Prepare More Students for Career Success

Presentation by William Symonds

Director, the Global Pathways Institute

ACTE-AZ Summer Conference

Tucson, AZ

July 19, 2015

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The Global Pathways Institute:

Year One

• CREATION OF THE INSTITUTE• OUR BOARD• PRIORITIES:

(1) Multiple Pathways(2) Career Literacy

• SOUTHWEST PATHWAYS CONFERENCE

www.GlobalPathwaysInstitute.org

GPI’S Vision

We are committed to creating an America in which all young people are prepared to lead productive and successful

lives. We believe that providing young people with

high-quality multiple pathways is the best way to help them discover and develop their

potential and achieve economic independence.

SOUTHWEST PATHWAYS CONFERENCE

MAY 28-29 AT ASU SKYSONGTeams from 5 states: CO, UT, NV,

NM and AZ350 Attendees; more than 100

speakers

1. Raise awareness of the challenge facing young adults in the Southwest

2. Promote promising solutions to this Challenge

3. Expand engagement of business and industry in developing effective pathways systems

4. Mobilize state teams to forge strong action plans

5. Promote formation of regional partnerships

6. Form a research consortium to inform policy/practice

Southwest Pathways Conference Goals

*Cross-sector teams of leaders from each of the five participating states: Colorado, Utah, Nevada,

New Mexico and Arizona.

*A “Native American” team of tribal leaders.*Nearly 20 researchers involved in research on

“pathways” related issues.

*Prominent Government leaders, including Arizona Governor Doug Ducey; Ellen Golombek, Executive Director of the Co. Dept. of Labor and

Employment; and Celina Bussey, Secretary of the New Mexico Dept. of Workforce Solutions

Who Attended the Conference

*Senior Education Leaders, including ASU President Michael Crow; Rufus Glasper, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges and Fenton Broadhead, Academic Vice President at BYU-Idaho

*Business leaders from major corporations, including Google, Walmart, State Farm, Honeywell, Sodexo, Freeport-McMoRan and the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation

*Leaders from non-profits active in this work, including Opportunity Nation, Jobs for America’s Graduates, Helios Education Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Daniels Fund

Who Attended the Conference (2)

TODAY’S AGENDA

• The Pathways Challenge• Why We Are Failing So Many Young Adults

• How We Can Help Prepare More Young Adults to Achieve Economic Independence:

Career Guidance/ “Career Literacy”Promote Multiple Pathways

Work-Based Learning

• The Southwest Pathways Conference• CALL TO ACTION

THE PATHWAYS CHALLENGE

“EVERY FAMILY IN AMERICA”The American Dream is Endangered

• Our Heritage: The Land of Opportunity; Where you were born was not your destiny

• Today: Our existing system fails to prepare many young adults for successThe “40/50 Problem”:

40% don’t graduate; the world’s highest college dropout rates; over $1 trillion in student debt

50% of those who do graduate end up unemployed or underemployed

• The “Skills Gap”: even many educated youth are not equipped with the skills needed to succeed

THE PERSISTENCE OF POVERTY

• For the first time in 50 years, the MAJORITY of U.S. schoolchildren live in poverty or low-income

families• Opportunity Youth: One in Seven young adults

16-24 are not in school or working: 5.6 million are “disconnected”

• Robert Putnam, “Our Kids”:In the 1950s, America offered “extraordinary

upward mobility”Today, “Social Mobility Seems Poised to Plunge in the Years Ahead” as Inequality has Ballooned

The American Dream is Endangered

ONE ROAD TO HEAVEN?

WHAT WE BELIEVE:• Four-year college is seen as the only true

pathway to success.• High school is about preparing students

for four-year college. Academics are emphasized at the expense of career

education/preparation.• Community/technical colleges are a far

less prestigious option.• Career Technical Education is for students

who aren’t smart enough for four-year college

FOR MANY, THE ROAD IS BROKEN

• MOST high school students are not ready for college – not even community college

• ACT: Only 25% of students in the 2014 graduating class were fully “college ready” -- in all 4 subjects

• In Arizona: only 21% are fully college ready• The Achievement Gap: In Arizona 51% of white

students were college ready; but only 17% of Hispanic and 10% of Native Americans

• How Many are Career Ready?: We hardly even measure it

OUR PARADIGM IS BADLY FLAWED AND CONTRIBUTES TO MASSIVE LEVELS OF YOUTH

UNDEREMPLOYMENT

College for all does not mean everyone needs a B.A. Even in this decade most jobs do not require a

B.A.

Source: March CPS data, various years; Center on Education and the Workforce forecast of educational demand to 2018.

What are the Trends in Arizona?

By 2018, ARIZONA expected to have over 3 million jobs:

• 61% OF THESE JOBS WILL REQUIRE PSE

• BUT ONLY 26% WILL REQUIRE A 4-YEAR DEGREE OR HIGHER

• 35% WILL REQUIRE AN AA DEGREE OR SOME COLLEGE

SO: MORE THAN 7 OUT OF 10 JOBS DO NOT REQUIRE A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE

WHY ARE WE FAILING SO MANY?

• The “One Road to Heaven” approach is far too narrow, and doesn’t work for most

students • This approach re-enforces an elitism in which jobs that don’t require a four-year

degree are demeaned• We can’t possibly prepare students for the

middle class/American Dream if we steer them away from many middle class jobs

WE NEED A NEW APPROACH: ONE THAT CHAMPIONS THE DIGNITY OF WORK!

STRATEGIES FOR BOOSTING SUCCESS

1. CAREER GUIDANCE: HELP ALL STUDENTS BECOME “CAREER

LITERATE”

2. PROMOTE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

3. EXPAND WORK-BASED LEARNING

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF CAREER LITERACY

• HOW THIS TERMINOLOGY EVOLVED:Limitations of “career guidance” and “career

development”• THE CONCEPT OF CAREER LITERACY: *Equipping Students/Adults with the

Knowledge, Tools and Support they need to make Good Career decisions: Now and in the

Future• THE APPEAL OF “LITERACY”

• THE GOAL: MAKE CAREER GUIDANCE A CENTRAL FOCUS OF EDUCATION

THE CRISIS IN CAREER GUIDANCE

CURRENT REALITIES:K-12: We have far too few counselors

*Most have little time to provide career counseling and many don’t understand the

labor market• Higher-Ed: Resources are often

constrained, especially at community colleges

*Few colleges embrace a comprehensive approach: including a strong emphasis on

work-based learning

THE COSTS OF OUR NEGLECT

• Disengagement: Students who don’t see the purpose of learning lose interest:

*76% of elementary students are engaged *But only 44% of high school students

• Many students don’t have the information needed to make good decisions about their future. The

result: many make poor choices about COLLEGE AND CAREER

• Many college students are just wandering through the system, and this is a key cause of the

underemployment epidemic

A VISION FOR EFFECTIVE GUIDANCE

• MAKE CAREER GUIDANCE A CENTRAL FOCUS OF EDUCATION:

*K-12: Begin early and emphasize often

*Post-Secondary: The goal is completion with a purpose: obtaining a credential that provides a pathway

to a promising career

• ADOPT A MORE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH: *Involve the Entire School Community

* Engage business, parents, the broader community

• EMBRACE WORK-BASED LEARNING

Improving Practice in Arizona

ARIZONA CAREER LEADERSHIP NETWORK• Who is Involved and Meetings

• Focus on ECAPs• Efforts to Improve Technology: AzCIS; ASU

e-Advisor; Expect More Arizona• How we Can Expand the Circle of Caring Adults: AmeriCorps; Retirees, Experience

Matters• Plans to launch a Pilot Program

NOW WE MUST MAKE THIS A MUCH GREATER PRIORITY!

THE CASE FOR MULTIPLE PATHWAYS:

Pedagogical• Best way for many young people to learn

• Relevance increases engagement, motivation

Higher attainment• In the US and abroad, high-quality

“vocational education” produces superior results

Youth Employment• Strong pathways to good jobs

• Countries with the best systems have very low rates of youth unemployment

24

In many European countries over half of upper secondary students are in vocational educational and training

Source: OECD (2008), Education at a Glance 2008, OECD indicators, Table C1.1, OECD, Paris.

EXEMPLARS FROM ABROAD

•FEATURES OF THE “DUAL SYSTEM”

**Vast choice of Career pathways **Based on an apprenticeship

system **Integration of

Academic/Vocational Instruction **Promotes the

dignity/professionalism of all careers **The payoff: a seamless pathway

to employment

THE MASSACHUSETTS MODEL

• HOW IT WORKS: **A network of regional vocational high schools **Students spend half time on a career major

**Students must still pass MCAS exams **Heavy emphasis on work-based learning

• IMPRESSIVE RESULTS: **Sky-high graduation/attendance rates

**National leader in technical skill attainment **Most go on to Post-secondary education

NPR DOCUMENTARY: “Ready to Work” www.AmericanRadioWorks.org/documentaries

OTHER STATE LEADERS

WHERE CAREER READINESS COUNTS:Florida: nearly 50% of high school students

now earn industry-recognized credentialsNorth Dakota: over half of students are CTE concentrators; and these students graduate at

much higher ratesKentucky: Measures College and Career

ReadinessNew York: has just approved multiple pathways

to a high school diploma

ARIZONA HAS FALLEN BEHIND!

HOW CAN WE ADVANCE IN ARIZONA?

POLICIES: 1. Expand Pathways to the High School Diploma:

22 Credits are required, including 15 Core Courses. Could we use the other 7 Courses to

create a CTE Pathway?2. Develop a Competency-based Pathway

3. Include Career Readiness in the A-F SystemEXPANDING ACCESS:

4. Build a Coalition to change the Culture5. Engage More Businesses

6. Advance the Vision Articulated by the Governor; Increase Funding and Programs

THE ROLE OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? *Proven way to promote

engagement *Develops key employability skills

*The gold standard for career exploration. Helps students find out: Is

this what I want to do? *For employers: An ideal method for

attracting and identifying future employees

TYPES OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

FROM EXPLORATION TO EXPERIENCE:

Exploration: builds awareness *Job fairs and career days

*Workplace tours/job shadowingExperience: career preparation

*Internships *Work experience *Apprenticeships

WORK-BASED LEARNING THAT WORKS

K-12: *The “Massachusetts Model”

*”The Met”

Higher-Ed: *The Co-Op Model: Northeastern

*BYU Idaho

Apprenticeships:*Registered Apprenticeships

*But the U.S. lags other countries

Re-engaging Opportunity Youth:*Year-Up

THE CHALLENGE OF SCALING UP

INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES ARE STILL THE

EXCEPTION.

WHAT WE MUST DO:• Persuade more companies to participate

• Help more high schools, community colleges, universities offer such programs• Provide incentives, training, studies of

best practices

Next Steps:• Post-Conference Survey: What we’ve learned

• Organize follow-up meetings in each state: *Expand and organize the state teams

*Discuss and develop the state action plan *Explore opportunities for regional collaboration

• Produce a Conference Report/Summary

• Form the research consortium and develop an agenda

• Convene Southwestern Governors

CALL TO ACTION

Let’s Launch A Movement to Revive the American Dream in Arizona!

Key Next Steps:• Build a Broad Coalition of Champions, including business, educators, community

organizations, government leaders• Develop a Strong State Action Plan!

• Work with our colleagues in the other Southwestern States: Convene a Governor’s

Summit!• Communicate, Convene, Collaborate and

Inform our Work with Research!• NOW IS THE TIME!

QUESTIONS?[

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