Massachusetts Career Pathways Systems Development for Adult Education

The career pathways system was developed to help the estimated 37 million adults and out-of-school youth in the United States with limited skills[1] (in Massachusetts, the number is approximately 900,000[2]) obtain the skills needed for employment and help employers fill in-demand positions. These models aim to develop a continuum of services that take adult learners from instruction to employment.

Career pathways are developed and maintained through collaborations among workforce development partners, including adult education (AE) providers, local workforce development boards, One-Stop Career Centers (OSCCs), training providers, postsecondary education providers, employers, and other stakeholders. They include three essential features:

Well-connected and transparent education,training, credentialing, and support services.

Multiple entry points that enable students to enter the career pathway.

Multiple exit points at successively higher levels leading to self- or family-supporting employment[3].

FY19 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Adult EducationRevised: November 2017
in CommunityAdult Learning Centers and Correctional Institutions 1

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Definition of Career Pathway
The term “career pathway” means a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that—
A. aligns with the skill needs of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved;
B. prepares an individual to be successful in any of a full range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including apprenticeships registered under the Act of August 16, 1937;
C. includes counseling to support an individual in achieving the individual’s education and career goals;
D. includes, as appropriate, education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster;
E. organizes education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a manner that accelerates the educational and career advancement of the individual to the extent practicable;
F. enables an individual to attain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and at least one recognized postsecondary credential; and
G. helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster. [Sec. 3(7)]

Career pathways operate on four levels: state, region, local, and program. At the state level, the state workforce board developsbroad strategies thatguide and support the use of career pathways in the regional workforce development areas. In the state’s seven workforce regions, partners align workforce development activities and available resources with larger regional economic development needs to provide coordinated and efficient services to both job seekers and businesses.The workforce development boards of the state’s 16 workforce development areas convene WIOA core and partner agenciesto identify emerging industries and develop routes for local talent to obtain the skills and credentials necessary to obtain occupations within those industries. AE programs then design, implement, and provide services that accelerate academic achievement, providing an on-ramp to career pathways opportunities. Some programs offer routes to these in-demand positions by providing Integrated Education and Training Services (IET) that offer concurrent and contextualized education and training experiences that reduce the time needed for classroom instruction.

The final Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) regulations released in June 2016 provide guidance to develop and implement career pathways programs.

CAREER PATHWAYS IN MASSACHUSETTS

In 2016, Massachusetts submitted theWIOA Combined State Plan to meet the WIOA requirements for state workforce development programs. The stateplan reflects the goals and vision for the public workforce system in Massachusetts, which (1) calls for coordinated, cross-system, service delivery that treats the job seeker as a shared customer across all 15 state agencies, and (2) supports workforce development as established through a statewide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Using the State MOU as a model, the 16 local workforce development boards guide the development of MOUs in each of the Commonwealth’s 16 workforce areas. Each MOU must articulate the local area’s plan for meeting WIOA requirements, including designing, implementing, and managing career pathways. Local workforce development boards convene area workforce partners, including AE providers, OSCCs, vocational rehabilitation, TANF/SNAP, and other stakeholder agencies to develop a WIOA MOU that is responsive to the needs of the local economy.

Massachusetts Workforce Board
Oversees statewide strategy for a skilled workforce that meets business demand

7 Local Workforce Regions
Develop career pathway strategies for job seekers aligned to business demand

16 Local Workforce Development Boards
Implement career pathway strategies in local workforce areas

Adult Education Programs
Contribute to and participate in career pathways delivery

CAREER PATHWAYS IN ADULT EDUCATION

In addition to providing the necessary academic instruction and preparation of shared customers and collaborating with local workforce partners on career pathways, AE programs can offer a range of career pathways services:

Integration of Career Awareness, Career Exploration, and Workforce Preparation Activities in AE Classes

AE programs support career pathwaysby providing career awareness, career exploration, and workforce preparation activities to students.

Career awareness activities help students learn about the types of businesses and organizations that exist in the local, regional, and national economy, the occupations of the people who work in those businesses and organizations, the educational steps needed to prepare for desired careers, and the ways that people shape their career paths. This includes, but is not limited to, learning about trends in the labor market and jobs that are in demand in a range of occupations and industries.

Career exploration activities help students learn about specific career options through activities such as workshops or integration of career exploration activities into classes, opportunities to do “job shadows” in areas of interest, informational interviews with local professionals, and career-related research projects.

Workforce Preparation activities help individuals acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills, including competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems, and obtaining the skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education.

All of these activities can be carried out by the AE provider and/or through formal agreements with local area partners that focus on priority occupations identified by the local workforce development board and informed by local plan packages[4] with special emphasis on occupations that offer good wage potential and multiple career pathway options and employment opportunities. These activities can also be integrated in AE classes or in a series of workshops.

Bridge Services

AE programs offer bridge classes that help students transition from adult education to postsecondary education and/or training. The focus of bridge classes varies, but may include ACCUPLACER preparation and college writing or math classes. These services can also be integrated into pre-ASE, ASE, and ESOL services.

Integrated Education and Training

Integrated Education and Training (IET)services are partnerships among local workforce development boards, AE providers,career/vocational technical education programs, postsecondary education and/or training providers, employers, and other local stakeholders. These services integrate AE services concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation and workforce training for occupations in high-demand industries that allow students to attain economic self-sufficiency. Each IET component must be“of sufficient intensity and quality, and based on the most rigorous research available, especially with respect to improving reading, writing, mathematics, and English proficiency of eligible individuals” that “occur simultaneously,” “use occupationally relevant instructional materials,” and are “organized to function cooperatively” with “a single set of learning outcomes” (34 CFR §463.37). IET services must be aligned with local career pathways and include support services such as career counseling, job placement, and retention services. Upon completion, students must have earned at least oneindustry-recognized credential.

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE)services enable English language learners to achieve competency in the English language and acquire the skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the United States. These services must include instruction in literacy and English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation. Under WIOA Section 243, these services must be delivered in combination with an IET program as described above.

Abstracts of current ACLS-funded IET and IELCE programs can be found on ACLS’s Integrated Education and Training/Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education webpage.

FY19 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Adult EducationRevised: November 2017
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SABES Center for Education and Career Planning (CECP)

- The SABES CECPprovides professional development opportunities that build the capacity of the field to design and implement career pathways programming. Resources, research, and curriculum materials can be found on their website.

Career Pathways Toolkit: An Enhanced Guide for Systems Development:

The 2016 revision includes embedded and writeable worksheets for each of the toolkit’s elements.

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP):

a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people. Resources and research can be found on their website.

Center for Occupational Development (CORD):

CORD and its National Career Pathways Network provide leadership and support for career pathways through publications, conferences, and technical assistance for states, regions, and communities.

Resources for Integrated Education and Training

ACLS IET webpage:

Program abstracts and other resources can be found on this webpage.

CLASP Memo:IET: Model Programs for Building Career Pathways for Participants at Every Skill Level: - Includes definitions, strategies, curricula, and resources.

Resources for Workforce Training

Massachusetts JobQuest:

Locate job training programs currently approved for ITA, Section 30, and Trade

careeronestop Certification Finder:

- Online industry-recognized certification database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education Directory:

Directory of the Massachusetts Chapter 74-approved vocational technical education programs.

Massachusetts Vocational Technical Education Frameworks: - Link to the 44 VTE Frameworks.

Resources for Workforce Preparation Activities

Academic, Career, and Employability Skills Transitions ACES-Transitions Integration Framework (ACES-TIF):

The goal of ACES is to help programs provide contextualized instruction integrating postsecondary education and training readiness, employability skills, and career readiness at all levels.

North Star Digital Literacy:

Assessments that define the basic skills needed to perform tasks on computers and online. Self-guided modules in 10 areas are included.

Resources for Civics Education

EL/Civics Online:

A series of online courses to assist teachers in creating lessons in U.S. history, U.S. government, civic engagement, and the naturalization process.

FY19 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Adult EducationRevised: November 2017
in CommunityAdult Learning Centers and Correctional Institutions 1

[1] U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from

[2] U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from

[3] Center for Law and Social Policy (2014). Shared Vision, Strong Systems Framework Version 1.0. Retrieved from

[4]Local plan packages contain all the documentation bidders will need to apply in order to align with the workforce system: Regional Data Packages; Local Workforce Area Strategic Plans; Local Umbrella MOU; Local Workforce Board Survey on Alignment with Adult Education; and Local Area Participant Summaries and Performance.