Pathways Resource Library

Pathways Matter to Families offers insights and actionable resources for students and families. The two complementary resources linked are informed by original research investigating what parents and young adults think and want to know about education-to-workforce pathways and experiences.

This report looks at how people make decisions regarding higher education through “Jobs-to-be-Done” theory which interrogates and exposes the real reasons people make personal choices, from buying a milk shake to make life-changing decisions. The analysis based on this theory, provides important insights, both for college-bound students and their families, but also institutions of higher education, many of which might be tooling themselves to perform the wrong job.

This is a report containing the results of a study on new approaches in higher education, funded by the Charles Kock Foundation.

The article discusses the growing issue of young Americans aged 18-24 not engaging in college or work, exacerbated by the pandemic. Despite high job vacancies, there's skepticism toward non-college education and job-training programs. The article highlights policy recommendations to integrate workforce training and higher education, stressing that both traditional and non-degree credentials are essential for economic mobility. The purpose is to advocate for a broader, more inclusive approach to postsecondary education and workforce training, aiming to enhance economic opportunities for all.

As employers seek to revitalize and diversify their talent pipelines, Opportunity@Work offers insights to inform employers’ understanding of where to find Black talent and the skills that Black STARs can bring to their talent pipelines. This report shares three key insights that every employer should know.

To better understand Gen Z’s unique perspectives, Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation have partnered to gather opinions directly from members of Gen Z and to track those opinions and experiences over time. This nationally representative, multiyear study of thousands of members of Gen Z between the ages of 12 and 26 gives policymakers and researchers an invaluable resource for not only understanding this generation’s needs, but for making data-driven decisions to address them.

This toolkit provides effective messages targeted to key audiences and strategies for dissemination to increase participation in Credit for Prior Learning among adult learners who are pursuing career pathways and CTE programs of study that lead to jobs in in-demand fields.

Shifting the Skills Conversation: Employer Attitudes and Outcomes of Career Technical Education provides tangible data points on employer attitudes toward Career Technical Education (CTE) and the positive return on investment CTE experiences provide for business and economic growth. Based on a national survey of more than 300 professionals actively involved in hiring decisions in in-demand fields, these new findings demonstrate that employers strongly support and see direct value in CTE. The findings also indicate that employer recognition and support for skills-focused hiring is growing and that employers back a greater public investment in CTE programs and supports

A unified directory of organizations and employers offering work-based learning opportunities—such as internships, job shadows, and apprenticeships— to help decision-makers find, compare, and connect with providers.