The Pathways to Advancement Project


Book Description

The Pathways to Advancement initiative was launched by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) to help governors and their policy advisors examine options and develop strategies for expanding working adults' access to and completion of postsecondary education. In September 2003, the NGA Center issued a request for proposals for states that wanted to participate in an action learning academy to change their policies and practices related to higher education financing, program and accreditation requirements, and student aid to enable greater numbers of adults to earn postsecondary education credentials. It indicated that the states selected to participate would receive technical support from the NGA Center, FutureWorks, Inc., and experts in education, economic development, and related fields at the Pathways to Advancement policy academy, as well as a $50,000 grant for travel to the policy academy meetings, for peer-review sessions in partner states, and to help support state-specific research, evaluation, and consensus-building activities related to improving postsecondary education for working adults. Nine states were selected to participate in the Pathways to Advancement project: Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. In all nine participating states, being involved in the project helped to: (1) raise the level of visibility and importance of adult postsecondary education and workforce education among policymakers and the public; and (2) catalyze significant policy changes in participating states, leading many of them to modify their processes for addressing key issues of postsecondary education and economic advancement to include a focus on the adult workforce in the state. The experiences of the nine Pathways to Advancement states offer valuable lessons for governors and state policymakers in other states that want to improve the skills and economic competitiveness of their adult workforce. Appended to this document are: (A) Adult Learning in the States: A Policy Review Framework for State Policy Makers & Educators; and (B) Policy Review Framework. (Contains 28 endnotes.




Creating Pathways to Advancement


Book Description

Developed by Jobs for the Future (JFF), "Pathways to Advancement" exemplifies a growing field of practice in career ladders and low-skilled worker advancement models. The Pathways model presents a framework for providing publicly funded employment and training services that meet the needs of employers, job seekers, and incumbent workers--particularly those in low-wage, low-skill jobs. Through its initial demonstration in Seattle, "Pathways to Advancement" proved to be an effective strategy for fundamentally changing the way the public workforce development system operates. Jobs for the Future prepared "Creating Pathways to Advancement" as a guide for Workforce Development Councils and Workforce Investment Boards interested in replicating Seattle's Pathways to Advancement strategy. Based on the experience of two pilot projects, JFF identified lessons about implementing models designed to help: low-wage workers advance to higher-wage, higher-skill jobs; other low-income populations to fill the resulting job openings; and help employers to meet their need for skilled workers. These lessons have implications for the "Pathways to Advancement" model and its use by others in the future. "Pathways to Advancement" is a promising model for building strong relationships between the workforce development system and employers, while creating opportunities for those at the lowest end of the labor market. The following are appended: (1) Pathways to Advancement Pilot: The Lessons Learned; and (2) Sample Memorandum of Understanding.




Pathways to Careers in Health Care


Book Description

This book provides analyses and evaluations of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program, a federal government demonstration project that is targeted at providing career opportunities in the health care field for individuals in low-wage populations.




Career Pathways in Action


Book Description

Career Pathways in Action offers a detailed exploration of the Pathways to Prosperity Network's efforts at state, regional, and local levels through five case studies across the United States. The cases include efforts to scale up strategic partnerships; balance state policies with particular regional needs and circumstances; and ensure postsecondary success. While the programs vary significantly from one another, they all involve cooperation between political, business, and educational institutions. The cases provide practical models for partnerships that can best serve young people and the industries in which they hope to find rewarding work. "Career Pathways in Action takes the goal of collaboration across K-12, higher education, and industry to the next level. The case studies detail how states and regions unpack the challenges of developing pathways with real value in the marketplace. Career pathways succeed as they reinforce the relevance of course studies and skills for success in the world of work." --Maura Banta, former chair of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education "As technology disrupts the working world, consensus grows that employers must engage more deeply in education: better aligning skills supply and demand and making learning richer and more relevant. This valuable collection looks across the US, exploring how to achieve such strategic collaboration. Assessing what underpins success, this book will be an aid to all those seeking to ensure education in the twenty-first century truly serves all learners." --Anthony Mann, Head of Vocational Education and Training, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Robert B. Schwartz is a professor emeritus of practice in educational policy and administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education and a cofounder of the Pathways to Prosperity Network as well as coeditor for the Work and Learning Series. Amy Loyd is vice president of Building Educational Pathways for Youth at Jobs for the Future and leads the Pathways to Prosperity and college and career pathways work. Nancy Hoffman is a senior advisor at Jobs for the Future and a cofounder of the Pathways to Prosperity Network as well as coeditor for the Work and Learning Series.







Pathways for Peace


Book Description

Violent conflicts today are complex and increasingly protracted, involving more nonstate groups and regional and international actors. It is estimated that by 2030—the horizon set by the international community for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—more than half of the world’s poor will be living in countries affected by high levels of violence. Information and communication technology, population movements, and climate change are also creating shared risks that must be managed at both national and international levels. Pathways for Peace is a joint United Nations†“World Bank Group study that originates from the conviction that the international community’s attention must urgently be refocused on prevention. A scaled-up system for preventive action would save between US$5 billion and US$70 billion per year, which could be reinvested in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of populations. The study aims to improve the way in which domestic development processes interact with security, diplomacy, mediation, and other efforts to prevent conflicts from becoming violent. It stresses the importance of grievances related to exclusion—from access to power, natural resources, security and justice, for example—that are at the root of many violent conflicts today. Based on a review of cases in which prevention has been successful, the study makes recommendations for countries facing emerging risks of violent conflict as well as for the international community. Development policies and programs must be a core part of preventive efforts; when risks are high or building up, inclusive solutions through dialogue, adapted macroeconomic policies, institutional reform, and redistributive policies are required. Inclusion is key, and preventive action needs to adopt a more people-centered approach that includes mainstreaming citizen engagement. Enhancing the participation of women and youth in decision making is fundamental to sustaining peace, as well as long-term policies to address the aspirations of women and young people.







Growing Fairly


Book Description

Tested, practical ideas to meet current and future skilling needs of both workers and employers 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. Growing Fairly offers workforce development reforms that meet the needs of both workers and employers. Based on the experiences of hundreds of leaders and workers, the authors set out ten principles for designing a more effective and equitable system that helps workers obtain the skills necessary for economic mobility. The principles outlined in the book argue for a more comprehensive view of the skilling needs of current and prospective workers. They spell out the attributes of effective programs and make the case for skill-based hiring, widely distributed performance data, and collaboration. The book emphasizes the importance of local action to overcome the structural barriers that challenge even the most determined would-be learners. Growing Fairly shows cross sector leaders how to work across organizational boundaries to change the trajectory of individuals struggling to make a living wage. This is not a book of untested theories. Instead, it is written by practitioners for practitioners. Much of it is told through the voices of those who run programs and people who have taken advantage of them. While the issues the book addresses are profound, its take on the subject is optimistic. Between them, the authors have spent decades searching out and supporting effective practices. Even more critically, they have learned how to knit competing agencies and organizations into cohesive systems with coordinated missions. Their practical ideas will benefit a wide range of readers, from practitioners in the field to students and scholars of the American labor system.




The Obama Administration and Educational Reform


Book Description

The Obama Administration and Educational Reform seeks to situate, problematize, and bring to light the goals, accomplishments, experienced blockades, and disappointments of the Obama administration's educational policies.




Biotechnology Operations


Book Description

This book describes seven areas in the field of biotechnology operations as practiced by biopharmaceutical firms and nonprofit institutions. Revisions focus upon changes that have occurred in several areas over the past six years, with emphasis on regulatory, biomanufacturing, clinical and technical information, along with processes and guidlines that have added to the discipline. Examples are increased for new technical fields such as cell and tissue engineering. Further, illustrations or figures are added to each chapter to emphasize particular points.