Texas Regional Pathways Network (TRPN): Pathways

Overview of High-Quality Pathways

What is a career pathway?

A career pathway is a sequence of experiences intentionally designed to facilitate the development of academic, technical and employability skills connected to a set of related occupations. It connects high school to stackable postsecondary credentials that lead to career entry and advancement. Students require access to and the ability to navigate the pathway. 

Why a regional approach?

Regional pathways rely on a coalition of aligned actors from multiple sectors to design and execute. A regional approach to pathways includes developing strong infrastructure that prepares systems to design, scale, and sustain pathways. 

Why do pathways matter?

Pathways benefit both students and employers by building regional talent pipelines that spur economic growth across the state and ensuring that all Texans have the skills and credentials needed for economic advancement.

Students:

• Take academically rigorous classes
• Build valuable technical and employability skills
• Explore occupations to identify professional interests
• Make informed choices about education and career
• Earn credentials with value in the labor market

Employers:

• Develop a talent pipeline
• Improve employee retention
• Reduce training costs
• Build a culture of life-long learning
• Meet changing needs in the new economy

Seven Components of High-Quality Pathways

A high-quality pathway has the following seven components that seamlessly link K–12 education, postsecondary education and training, and careers in high-wage, in-demand industries.

Cross-Sector Partnerships

WHAT IT IS

• State and regional collaboration across sectors is critical to building effective pathways that incorporate all key components and propel students to success. Cross-sector partnerships must include, at a minimum, secondary and postsecondary education, employers, and workforce development. They may also include local government, economic development, chambers of commerce, industry associations, and community-based organizations.
• Regional partners from all sectors should be engaged in the design and implementation of local pathways to ensure that they successfully bridge K-12, postsecondary education and training, and the labor market.

WHY IT MATTERS

• To effectively meet the needs and goals of stakeholders representing multiple sectors, leaders from those sectors must actively contribute their expertise and perspectives to the pathways design and implementation process.
• Partnerships that center labor market information and industry trends are critical to the development of pathways that meet employers’ talent needs and therefore supports students in launching careers and achieving economic mobility.
• The engagement of cross-sector partners ensures that pathways leverage—rather than duplicate—existing efforts and partnerships, such as collective impact initiatives and education business partnerships lead by chambers of commerce and workforce boards.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• A cross-sector pathways leadership team meets regularly to plan and discuss the design and implementation of pathways.
• Cross-sector partners strategically align and leverage existing programs and initiatives.
• Partners develop formal agreements, including memoranda of understanding, and processes that bridge institutions and systems, such as data sharing.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Regional conveners connect and convene regional teams of cross-sector stakeholders, who, with leadership from the regional convener, develop a shared vision and goals for pathways, evaluate pathway outcomes, and plan for continuous improvement and sustainability.
• All other partners, including secondary and postsecondary educators, workforce development, and business and industry leaders, actively contribute time, resources, and expertise the pathways design process and to the implementation of all key components of pathways.

Labor Market Alignment

WHAT IT IS

• Pathways are reverse-mapped from industry to postsecondary to K-12 to ensure that students develop the skills and competencies they need to succeed in their careers.
• Pathways build a skilled talent pipeline for employers by preparing students for jobs in high-wage, in-demand industries with career advancement opportunities.
• Pathways are designed using regional labor market information and industry and employer input to identify growing industries and occupations, as well as the skills and credentials needed for a career in targeted sectors.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Business and industry leaders are facing a talent shortage. Pathways aligned with labor market demand meet workforce needs, leading to state and regional economic growth.
• Alignment with labor market demand ensures that students in pathways gain the right skills and credentials that lead to family-sustaining careers.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• Regional Labor Market: Leverage multiple sources of labor market information to identify in-demand occupations and associated skills, degrees, and credentials. Sources may include: TWC labor projections, WDA target occupations, and real-time labor market information. Enrich and validate findings through conversations with industry experts and employers.
• Postsecondary: Develop and enhance postsecondary programs of study that lead to in-demand degrees and credentials that are stackable and transferable. Explore options for dual credit courses applicable to multiple postsecondary programs of study.
• Secondary: Develop a course sequence aligned with postsecondary programs of study and regional labor market information. Embed stackable, industry-recognized credentials. Incorporate a continuum of work-based learning experiences and career advising.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Employers provide input on the competencies, skills, and credentials required to meet their talent needs.
• Secondary and postsecondary educators design programs of study aligned with regional labor market demand.
• Workforce development boards provide labor market information and analysis to inform the development, design, and implementation of pathways.
• Regional conveners support the development of a process that engages educators and employers in keeping pathways updated to meet the needs of evolving regional labor markets.

Postsecondary Transition

WHAT IT IS

• Pathways increase postsecondary attainment by bringing opportunities to earn postsecondary credit and credentials into secondary education.
• High school and postsecondary curricula are aligned.
• Educators plan for articulation and transferability.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Students often find the transitions from secondary to postsecondary education challenging or unclear, leading to low postsecondary enrollment and completion rates—even though the majority of jobs in Texas require postsecondary certificates or degrees.
• Students who are unable to transfer credits between educational institutions are at increased risk of failing to complete postsecondary credentials.
• Pathways address the growing affordability challenge in postsecondary education by enabling students to earn credits and credentials at little or no cost.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• Students progress through seamlessly connected secondary and postsecondary programs of study.
• Pathways include all requirements for a high school diploma and a postsecondary credential, and have clear structures, timelines, and student requirements.
• Bridge programs and transfer and articulation agreements provide structures that enable students to navigate transitions between institutions without running into dead ends.
• Developmental education, corequisite remediation, and acceleration strategies support students and increase postsecondary credit attainment.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Secondary and postsecondary educators collaborate on the design of aligned programs of study and degree plans that incorporate opportunities for students to earn dual credit and access appropriate developmental education strategies.
• Postsecondary educators develop bridge programs and transfer and articulation agreements that create connections that are transparent to students.
• Regional conveners facilitate collaboration among educators.

Credentials of Value

WHAT IT IS

• Industry-based certifications represent skills and learning that open doors and act as a springboard for higher levels of achievement to ensure students’ success. Industry-based certifications are one of the measures to demonstrate college and career readiness within Texas’ K-12 accountability system and new community college outcomes-based funding is linked to students earning credentials of value.
• Pathways enable students to earn industry-based credentials that are stackable and portable, allowing them to compete in the labor market.
• Degrees and credentials create on- and off-ramps for pathways that allow students to enter the workforce and pursue further education according to their interests and career goals.

WHY IT MATTERS

• College completion rates in Texas are improving, but not quickly enough. Only 32 percent of Texas high school graduates in 2014 earned a two- or four-year college degree by 2022. This is far below what the state needs. Experts say that by 2030, 60 percent of Texans will need a certificate or degree for the state to stay competitive in the global economy.
• Students need credentials valued by employers to successfully compete in the labor market.
• Employers need more employees with validated skills and knowledge to address the skills gap.
• Opportunities to earn credentials along the pathway allow students to enter, exit, and re-enter the pathway as their education and career goals evolve.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• Students receive support to prepare for and have opportunities to earn stackable credentials that are aligned with the industry focus of pathways. 
• The labor market value of certifications is validated through employer input and labor market information.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Secondary and postsecondary educators embed credentials with value in the labor market in programs of study and provide students with the support needed to earn available credentials.
• Employers advise educators on which credentials are of value.
• Workforce development boards provide labor market information, including real-time data on in-demand credentials.
• Regional conveners support coordination and collaboration among educators and employers.

Applied Academics

WHAT IT IS

• Pathways provide preparation for college and careers that is applicable to all students’ educational and career interests and plans.
• Students in pathways apply classroom learning in real-world settings while enrolled in advanced academic programs, including early college, dual credit, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate.

WHY IT MATTERS

• To expand college and career options for students, pathways prepare students for a range of postsecondary education options—including certifications, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees—while simultaneously providing students with opportunities to learn about careers and build skills relevant to their career goals.
• Research shows that students who complete advanced academic programs are more likely to enroll and be successful in college.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• The design of pathways incorporates crosswalks that provide a road map for how students will progress through courses and pathways that lead to a range of postsecondary options.
• Pathways programs of study at the high school level include multiple advanced academic course options that are accessible to all students
• Students earn dual credit in academic and technical courses aligned to the pathway.
• Pathways are supported by structures and processes that enable educators to integrate core academics and career-focused learning. This includes: integrated projects and curriculum units, team teaching, common planning time for teachers, and lessons that embed CTE content in academic courses.
• Students are exposed to and build familiarity with industry standards and practices through both classroom learning and participation in activities outside of the classroom, including work-based learning and out-of-school time programs.
• Teachers and counselors increase their knowledge of industry standards and practices through participation in externship programs.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Postsecondary educators partner on the design and delivery of advanced academic programs such as dual credit.
• Secondary educators develop curricula and structures to support integration.
• Employers advise on industry standards and practices and work with educators to provide externship opportunities for teachers and counselors.
• Workforce development boards help make connections to employers and leverage funding to support externships.
• Regional conveners facilitate collaboration among educators and employers.

Effective Advising

WHAT IT IS

• Students learn about a range of college and career options—and the education requirements linked to careers of interest—through a sequence of developmentally appropriate activities.
• A strategic and systematic approach to providing individualized career and academic advising to students along a continuum where networks of educators collaborate to provide students with the relationships, resources, and skills that contribute to their education and career goals.

WHY IT MATTERS

• The growing importance of postsecondary education and career relevance in education make advising and counseling key strategies for helping students navigate education and career options.
• K-12 and postsecondary students do not always have access to reliable, up-to-date information about college and career options, which limits their ability to make informed choices about their futures.
• A developmental approach to advising helps students make more informed, financially sound, and sustainable education and career choices by helping students understand what they are interested in and why, what career opportunities are available in their region, and what skills, education, and training are required to pursue and succeed in careers of interest.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• Students progress through a continuum of developmentally appropriate, structured activities that begins in elementary school and continues through high school into postsecondary education and career pathways.
• Beginning in 8th grade, all students have—and understand—individualized plans that identify their education and career goals and the steps needed to achieve them.
• Educators are equipped with the knowledge, resources, time, and professional development opportunities that enable them to effectively support all students in planning and preparing for college and career success.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Secondary and postsecondary educators, including counselors and advisors, develop and implement a college and career advising continuum, identify student milestones along the continuum and assess students’ progress, and support students in developing and updating individualized plans.
• Employers advise on the design of –and participate in—career awareness and exploration activities such as career fairs and mock interviews.
• Regional conveners support coordination and collaboration among educators, employers, and other advising programs and initiatives.
• Workforce development boards support educators in developing strategies for sharing labor marketing information with students and deploy outreach specialists to coordinate advising strategies and activities.
• Parents and students access college and career information and advising supports and use what they learn to make informed choices about students’ education and career plans, including enrolling in college and career readiness school models and selecting postsecondary programs of study.

Work-Based Learning

WHAT IT IS

• Work-based learning (WBL) is practical, hands-on activities or experiences through which a student interacts with industry professionals in a workplace, which may be an in-person, virtual, or simulated setting. Students prepare for employment or advancement along a career pathway by completing purposeful tasks that develop academic, technical, and employability skills.
• Work-based learning is a continuum of intentional activities and experiences—such as worksite tours, job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships – designed to expand the boundaries of the classroom and prepare students for future opportunities. Activities and experiences should begin in middle school and continue through postsecondary education.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Students gain real-world work experience and valuable technical and employability skills while learning about career options.
• Employers build a talent pipeline, and many report that they benefit from students’ knowledge of technology, creativity, and innovative ideas.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• All students in the pathway participate in a structured, sequenced continuum of work-based learning experiences aligned with the industry focus of the pathway.
• Students gain technical and employability skills through work-based learning experiences that are aligned with classroom learning.
• Cross-sector partners collaborate using seven principles to guide the design of WBL opportunities. High-quality WBL experiences should: align with career pathways, incorporate meaningful job tasks, identify and validate skills to be gained, reward skills gains and offer compensation, support academic progress and achievement, integrate opportunities to develop professional networks, and incorporate strategies to measure shared progress.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

• Secondary and postsecondary educators, employers, workforce development boards and regional conveners collaboratively design a sequence of work-based learning experiences.
• Secondary and postsecondary educators integrate work-based learning programs into academic and advising structures and prepare students to participate in work-based learning opportunities.
• Employers provide opportunities for students to learn and apply skills at the workplace and work with industry professionals.
• Workforce development boards manage funding streams that support WBL and support aligning WBL offerings with regional employer talent needs.
• Regional conveners manage all logistics, including brokering and aggregating work-based learning opportunities across the region, developing job descriptions, managing student placement, supporting employers in addressing questions related to legal and liability concerns, executing agreements between employers and schools, developing curricula and assessments in partnership with educators and employers, and aggregating and analyzing data to monitor outcomes.