Career Pathways

The merits of job training and apprenticeship programs are well known, but certain populations could stand to benefit more from these valuable tools if apprenticeship programs were expanded. Affordable child care and pre-apprenticeship trainings can help more women, low-wage workers, and parents develop the stability and skills needed to succeed in work-based learning programs. The National Skills Coalition lists components of successful pre-employment programs, including case management, coverage of associated costs like transportation, job search and financial assistance, and connections to industry partners and child care centers. They also recommend ways to align TANF, SNAP, and workforce system funds to support pre-employment and child care initiatives.

In this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) report, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. analyzed data from occupational employment projects in every state to determine promising occupations that require no more than 12 months of training beyond high school. Tables are available for each state, and each table ranks occupations from the highest to lowest number of projected annual openings. For each occupation, the report also provides the level of education or training required, growth rate, and the median wage. 

The Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP released a paper that explores "stackable credentials," which is defined by the Department of Labor as a series of credentials that accumulate to build an individual's qualifications for advancement on a career pathway. The paper discusses some of the barriers to acquiring multiple educational and occupations credentials, pulling from data collected in Kentucky, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The paper also outlines the ways in which these states are working to increase credential attainment for their residents.