Volume 31, No. 2: Employer Engagement |
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Welcome to Vol. 31, No. 2, of Connections, the newsletter of the National Career Pathways Network. In this issue, we highlight employer partnerships and successful engagement strategies with career and technical education programs.
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Intel and Maricopa District Launch Nation’s First Associate Degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning |
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In 2020, Intel and the Maricopa Community College (MCC) District issued a joint press release announcing their partnership launching the first associate degree program in artificial intelligence and machine learning in the nation. Carlos Contreras, Senior Director, Americas, Global Partnerships and Initiatives with Intel, noted a sense of urgency around this technology because of the speed at which it is being adopted by a wide variety of industry sectors. Intel’s aim, he says, is to reach 30,000 institutions across thirty countries and train 30 million students in artificial intelligence by 2030. |
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Study Examines Impact of Employer Engagement on Career Pathways |
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CORD recently released a report titled A Look at Partnerships Between Employers and Community and Technical Colleges: Observations and Recommendations. The report resulted from a study conducted as part of a project entitled Studying the Motivation, Perceived Benefits, and Return on Investment of Employer Engagement in Career Pathways Programs. The project’s overarching purpose was to better understand how employer engagement impacts the development of career pathways. The study was led by CORD as a companion project to the ECMC Foundation-funded Advancing Credentials through Career Pathways initiative. Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) served as a strategic partner for the study’s evaluation design components.
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SelecTech Partnership Provides Valuable Hands-on Experience for Students
Sarah Janes, Associate Vice Chancellor – Continuing and Professional Development, Associate Vice Chancellor, San Jacinto College
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When Aggreko, a worldwide provider of rental power, temperature control, and compressed air systems, invited San Jacinto College to partner in establishing Aggreko’s SelecTech program in the Houston area, team leader Greg Mitchell, Senior Technician Programs Manager at Aggreko’s Pearland Learning Center, was ready to build a program designed to help students acquire technical competencies in all areas of Aggreko’s field operations. The SelecTech program launched in fall 2018 and the partnership continues to grow. |
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Successful Career Pathways Programs Bring Employers to the Table Early and Often |
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In this article, we highlight three recent presentations by NCPN members that offer valuable insights on employer engagement and the essential role it plays in Career Pathways programs. 4T Academy in Princeton, Indiana; Take Ten+ in Gwinnett County, Georgia; and Rebuild Your Future in Salisbury, North Carolina, collectively represent a broad range of career fields (automotive manufacturing, construction, and healthcare) and learner populations (high school students, unemployed and underemployed adults, and justice-involved persons).
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National Organizations Collaborate on Shared Vision for the Future of CTE |
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Last fall, Advance CTE co-hosted the CTE Forward Summit in partnership with nine national organizations, bringing together 200 leaders to set a new vision for the future of Career Technical Education (CTE). It was clear that now is the time to craft a bold vision that envisions a world where each learner can access and be successful in high-quality CTE programs without any limitations or barriers.
Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education (CTE Without Limits) lays out five interconnected and equally critical principles; foundational commitments; and a call to action for national, state, and local CTE leaders.
NCPN is pleased to join Advance CTE and 37 other organizations in supporting this vision. Only through a shared commitment and action at all levels can we realize the possibility and aspiration of a new career preparation ecosystem that supports each learner on a limitless path to career success.
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WWC Practice Guide: Designing and Delivering Career Pathways at Community Colleges
A new publication from the National Center for Education Evaluation at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) highlights five recommendations and related strategies and resources on effective Career Pathways program designs, instructional methods, delivery models, student supports, and partnerships.
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Reentry and Reengagement During a Pandemic: How Employability Skills Surface as In-Demand Skills in Today’s Workforce
Panelists: Reecie Stagnolia, CEO, Stagnolia Strategic Solutions, and Former VP for Adult Education, KY Council on Postsecondary Education; Teresa Chasteen, President and CEO, WIN Learning; Allen Pratt, Executive Director, National Rural Education Association; Vincent Sanders, Human Resources Manager, Zeus, Inc.
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©2021 CORD. Connections is published by the National Career Pathways Network (ncpn.info), an organization of CORD (cord.org). NCPN assists educators, employers, and other stakeholders in planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving workforce education programs. Questions? Mark Whitney, 254-741-8315, mwhitney@cord.org
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