About
OUR VISION
Creating flexible pathways toward career success is not just an educational imperative; it is an economic and social necessity.
We are the National Pathways Initiative, a national federation of a diverse group of cross-sector leaders from education, business, government and political leaders from both parties, the Civil Rights community, non-profit organizations and student groups.
We are convinced our traditional educational approach is failing to help far too many students find, prepare, acquire and sustain career success as the professional landscape rapidly changes around them. We believe flexible learning pathways lead to a workforce that adequately addresses employers’ needs. These pathways must integrate focused and rigorous academic preparation and experiential learning opportunities which are integrated and tied to actual jobs. This must shape career and technical education, college-in-high-school opportunities, work-based learning, and wraparound services. Examples of success in this work must include specific strategies and clear roadmaps for success to mitigate the barriers to scalability and sustainability.
Over the next 12 months, we will achieve the following goals:
- Forge strong partnerships with employers, industry leaders, and community organizations to create a local support network for students pursuing diverse pathways.
- Identify barriers within specific communities served and set specific, measurable goals to eradicate these barriers and ensure the development of employable youth.
- Design and disseminate mitigation strategies with built-in flexibility to adjust for potential market and policy changes or funding shifts.