National Series Shines Spotlight on Career Success April 18, 2017 By Bill Debaun Read Time Strada Article Career Connection Consumer Voice Engagement & ... ... It is clear that our field’s work – assisting low-income, first-generation students with accessing and completing postsecondary education – is profoundly important. What is often unclear, to students and their families, at least, is the career path to which that access and success leads. NCAN, with the generous support of Strada Education Network (formerly USA Funds), is working to inform members on how to connect career success with their access and success services. The question of “why career success?” is an important one, and it represents a new direction and area for our field. Recall that there was a time when our field more solely focused on college access with just a few practitioners focusing on postsecondary success work; now, NCAN member programs are much more commonly engaged in postsecondary success work. The thinking behind it: Connecting career success to college success helps students better grasp the relationship between their academic pursuits and professional futures, and become more motivated and prepared to apply and matriculate to – and persist and complete at – a postsecondary institution. Students need to understand which careers are out there and of most interest to them, and the corresponding academic requirements. With that knowledge, students can look for relevant internships and other pre-professional experiences and follow a more efficient academic path – in terms of both time and finances – to completion. NCAN’s annual Spring Training series, which concluded last week, focused on this emerging area of work. Across four cities (Phoenix, Houston, Indianapolis and Providence), attendees learned from field experts on a variety of topics, from implementing career success work in a college access and success program, to better using workforce data, to connecting with local, regional and state stakeholders to create partnerships for career success. Each training blended consistent programming with more locally focused panels. Joining us in each city were Dr. Mark Schneider of College Measures and the American Institutes of Research, and, depending on the location, either AiLun Ku or Jessica Pliska of the Opportunity Network (an NCAN member also known as OppNet). Schneider’s presentation focused on workforce data that programs can use to advise students about “hot jobs,” “hot skills,” and “high return on investment (ROI)” positions, as well as workforce projections that predict the need (or lack thereof) for a given occupation. Most states have workforce projections of some kind or another (NCAN is aggregating the state websites here), but the quality, comprehensiveness, and usability vary widely. Schneider’s work with College Measures revolves around setting up state-specific workforce data websites – “Launch My Career,” available in Texas, Tennessee, and Colorado, so far – that connect labor outcomes with postsecondary academic programs and credentials and predict the jobs that will be most-needed. In addition to providing data around labor outcomes, Schneider also emphasized that sub-baccalaureate degrees can provide a middle-class lifestyle and a stable career. Using data from Texas, he pointed to a number of bachelor’s and even master’s degrees that earn their recipients lower salaries 10 years after completion than the average certificate or associate’s degree does. “How to Incorporate Career Success Programming Into Your Advising,” the afternoon Spring Training panels guided by OppNet’s Ku and Pliska, revolved around their Career Fluency framework, which emphasizes developing skills and experience in four key areas: college access, transition, and success; professional skills and etiquette; career exposure; and networks and social capital. Within this framework, OppNet helped attendees identify their organization’s assets and strengths as well as something with which they struggle, helping attendees think creatively about a concrete approach to better developing their students’ career fluency. At each site, OppNet also spotlighted an NCAN member – Be a Leader Foundation (BALF), Genesys Works, Starfish Initiative, or Bottom Line – that could provide practical, replicable insight for programs interested in expanding into career success work. Bottom Line’s Dave Borgal, for instance, discussed his organization’s move into first college success services and later career success services. Bottom Line uses the DEAL (degree, employability, financial aid, and life) framework to guide students toward successful outcomes. The employability piece is key; Bottom Line helps students find the right career path and develop more functional skills like interviewing, resume and cover letter writing, and networking. Also, Soilo Felix shared BALF’s college-going curriculum, which starts at grade seven and includes career exploration with two major components. One is Professional Shadow Day, where BALF collaborates with other organizations to give students real-world perspective on what different careers entail. In addition, BALF works closely with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity to identify college students for SEO Career, a professional development and internship program targeting talented Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergrads. Then there’s Genesys Works, which empowers high school students from challenged backgrounds to achieve college and career success through skills training and meaningful work experiences. Joe Small shared some primary elements of Genesys Works Houston’s program, including the Meaningful Internship Model and skills trainings, whereby the organization provides eight weeks of training during the summer before a student’s senior year of high school. The training includes technical skills in information technology and business operations, as well as professional skills necessary for today’s corporate workplace. The paid, year-long, 20-hours-per-week internships help students further develop and refine these high-demand work skills while providing valued services to corporate partners. In each Spring Training city, a morning panel focused on “Partnerships to Facilitate College and Career Success,” but content varied to reflect the on-the-ground partnerships that connect higher education, nonprofit, K-12, business, government, and philanthropic stakeholders to pull in the same direction. In Phoenix, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Foundation and one of their members discussed the Phoenix Forward initiative, which blends public policy and advocacy with workforce and economic development. The initiative has four industry leadership councils that each tie to specific occupational categories: advanced business services (for example, careers in cybersecurity, compliance and risk management, and financial services) transportation and logistics, healthcare, and bioscience. After identifying a pain point in an industry or around an occupation shortage, revealing the reason for the shortage, and developing a strategy to address it, these industry councils then go on to work with partner stakeholders to promote the career and help students move into it successfully. Russell Johnson, the President and CEO of Merchants Information Solutions, walked through this process of building career pathways – in this case, into cybersecurity. First, an industry council identified 8,400 open cybersecurity positions in Arizona alone (note that these numbers could grow exponentially in the future). Then it worked with the local community college to review curriculum and develop career pathways that would help students qualify for these positions. Employers committed to doubling the number of workforce experiences available to students to further their interest in cybersecurity. Finally, the council developed a website and marketing plan to be a resource hub for those interested in cybersecurity careers. On to the Lone Star State: In Houston, conversations about career readiness have become more frequent after a 2013 bill required all incoming 9th-graders to select an endorsement (area of study) based on their career interests and academic goals. To that end, our Houston “partnership panel” assembled various stakeholders, including NCAN members Project GRAD Houston and the Center for Houston’s Future, which discussed the role of nonprofit college access and success organizations in promoting career success for students. Insights from those panelists and others, such as a workforce development organization that helps meet employer needs and build individual careers, showed that multiple sectors share the goal of facilitating career exploration to ensure students successfully transition into the local workforce. That collaborative theme extended to Indianapolis, where Ascend Indiana, the Indiana Youth Institute, EmployIndy, and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development partner to provide workforce projections and inform students, employees, and other stakeholders about career pathways in fields where jobs will be in demand. The audience learned about Ascend Indiana’s work to align future labor market needs with relevant degree or credential opportunities and available talent, and discussed how to help young people identify their passion by exposing them to career opportunities, providing a sense of the jobs available as well as the obtainable skills and credentials to be successful in those jobs. These experiences, along with several state-based simulator tools available online, can help students turn a job into a fulfilling career. Finally, in Providence, Spring Training attendees heard from a number of experts. First, Rhode Island’s First Gentleman Andy Moffit discussed the importance of college access and success in his own life and highlighted initiatives supported by his wife, Gov. Gina Raimondo. Rhode Island has been a leader in promoting career pathways for students, and the Providence partnership panel brought together K-12 and government entities from a variety of perspectives. For example, the state has greatly expanded access to dual enrollment for high school students, and an Advanced Coursework Network helps students take college or other advanced coursework that their high school may not offer. As always during the Spring Training series, hearing members’ questions and concerns proved invaluable to the NCAN staff in attendance. Notably, each site had a different “feel” stemming from local contexts and experiences. We’ll continue to share our work in this area via white papers, webinars, case studies, blog posts, Success Digest articles, and this Spring Training series. NCAN has already produced spotlights through these mediums, including the Career Success Spotlight webinars with members currently engaged in this work. We are compiling a list of career success-related resources on our website and we encourage readers to check back often, as we are always adding to it. Group 13 Group 11 Group 12 To create a PDF of the webpage, choose in opened window 'Save as PDF' option in 'Destination' select or something like that and click to save or print button. Got it Bill Debaun Director of Data and Evaluation National College Access Network Learn More In the news from Strada May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Minnesota Rochester At the innovative Rochester campus of the University of Minnesota, our vision is to “inspire transformation in higher education through innovations that empower graduates to solve the grand health challenges of the 21st century.” Strada Article BCC May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Oregon Ducks Rise: Empowering Underrepresented Minorities and Low-Income Students Through Research Internships and Intentional Student Experiences Strada Article BCC May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Texas System Developing In-Demand Skills Among Undergraduates for Better, More Equitable Post Completion Outcomes Strada Article BCC May 13, 2022 Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education Access to college isn't enough. Neither is completion of degrees. It's time to focus on outcomes Strada Article BCC April 7, 2022 ‘I Didn’t Know I Had All This in Me’ Credit for prior learning helped Loyce Shelley see herself in a new way — and complete her degree. Strada CAEL Article Adult Learners Career Connection Completion Employers Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education On Purpose Engagement & ... ... March 2, 2022 How Local Partners Can Rebuild the Workforce Equitably Even before the pandemic, employers struggled to find the skilled labor they needed to fill jobs. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... February 23, 2022 Growing Fairly: How to Build Opportunity and Equity in Workforce Development The labor market in the United States faces seemingly contradictory challenges: Many employers have trouble finding qualified applicants for current and future jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work or are underemployed—their paths to living-wage jobs blocked by systemic barriers or lack of adequate skills. Strada Article Innovation in Wor... Adult Learners Career Connection Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education ... February 1, 2022 How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People The origin story of Grow With Google, like so many initiatives at the global technology company, begins with data. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Adult Learners Employers Nondegree On Purpose ... January 5, 2022 5 Ways To Integrate Career Connection Into College Experience Recent Strada research points to a striking disparity between first-year students’ aspirations for career planning in their undergraduate years and seniors’ actual experiences. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Public Viewpoint Research ... December 2, 2021 4 Ways To Build Better Education-Workforce Partnerships More than 18 months into the pandemic, the employment headlines can seem like an algebraic riddle: If U.S. employers are seeking workers to fill 10.9 million jobs, how can 8.4 million workers be unemployed? Strada CAEL Article Connections to Ca... On Purpose ... November 17, 2021 How To Make Sure Education After High School Is Worth the Investment Economist Beth Akers insists she’s not a college debt crisis denier. College is expensive — more than double the cost today compared to the 1980s. And too many students pay too much for it, she said, not only in relation to what they can afford now, but also to what they will earn after graduation. Strada Article Degree and Creden... On Purpose ... November 4, 2021 How To Set Students Up for Success After Graduation As provost and later president at the University of Utah, Ruth Watkins called out the “hollow promise” a university delivers to college students who have access to higher education but leave without completing a degree. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... October 21, 2021 How To Better Serve Latino Students Deborah Santiago’s parents always made clear she and her three siblings would go to college. Strada Article Navigating Education Advising On Purpose Engagement & ... ... October 7, 2021 How the HBCU Experience Builds Leaders Roslyn Clark Artis grew up in southern West Virginia, the only African American in her graduating class. The daughter of a coal miner, she dreamed of becoming a lawyer and applied to every public university in her home state, hoping to find an affordable route to college. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... September 22, 2021 6 Ways Our Conversations Are Shaping What We Know Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... September 8, 2021 6 Ways to Upskill Women for In-Demand Jobs Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Technology ... August 25, 2021 How To Connect 2-Year Students to a 4-Year School — and a Career Nationwide, about 80 percent of students enrolling in community college say they intend to continue at a four-year college or university to earn a bachelor’s degree. But only 15 percent of community college students achieve that goal within six years. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... August 12, 2021 3 Ways New Philanthropy Models Help More People Faster Strada Article Degree and Creden... On Purpose ... July 29, 2021 Things To Know Now About the Future of Nondegree Credentials Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Employers On Purpose ... July 14, 2021 How Student Supports Can Reverse Enrollment Declines Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... June 22, 2021 ‘Concerned, Worried, and Anxious’ — Insights From Recent High School Grads Strada Article Navigating Education Advising On Purpose ... June 8, 2021 What Will Reconnect Disrupted Learners to Education? Strada Article Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising On Purpose ... May 26, 2021 How Community Colleges Can Lead Our Economic Recovery Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... May 11, 2021 Mentoring, Networking, Scholarships — How This Program Pulls Them Together Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... April 27, 2021 How Work Changed for Good in 2020, According to Employers Recruiting, hiring, and training improvements are here to stay, employer survey says Strada Article Connections to Ca... Employers On Purpose ... April 14, 2021 Innovator Spotlight: Project Basta This career exploration and readiness program’s formula for learner success combines social capital, self-discovery to launch career pathways for first-gen grads Strada Article Measuring the Val... Pathways with Pur... Career Connection Completion Navigating Education Spotlight Institute for the... ... April 13, 2021 How To Improve Value of Higher Ed? Increase Career Support Just half of college alumni feel it was worth it to take out loans to attend college, with even lower levels of satisfaction from Black and Latino alumni about their loans. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... April 1, 2021 Powering Purpose Invest now in community colleges to fuel economic opportunity Strada Article Serving the Adult... Adult Learners Institute for the... ... March 31, 2021 Ready for Work? How To Prep New Grads for Tech Jobs Talent Path’s Learn-and-Earn Model Bridges Skills Gap Between College and Career Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... March 16, 2021 How to Make Online Ed Work for Students Can the pandemic induce higher education to jump-start the future of learning? Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ...