In May 2016, 24 states and Washington, D.C. began a national, six-month effort to examine and transform their career readiness systems and expand opportunities available to students in their states. Under the initiative, part of JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s $75 million New Skills for Youth initiative, states were required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and use the results to construct a three-year action plan. States were provided grant funds to conduct the needs assessment and begin early implementation of their action plans.
This publication from Advance CTE summarizes the work completed in those states. The document was also released in conjunction with a series of snapshots documenting efforts of individual states under Phase One of the New Skills for Youth initiative. The snapshots profile some of the significant achievements and lessons learned through this early work, drawing out strategies that other states can replicate.
While all states had CTE and career readiness policies in place prior to the start of the initiative, each began the work at a different starting point. Overall, states made the most progress in the following areas:
- Building cross-sector ownership.
- Putting equity front and center in early implementation and strategic planning.
- Working regionally to develop and execute action plans.
- Linking data and building career-focused accountability systems.
- Enhancing career guidance strategies.
For more on the New Skills for Youth initiative, click here.
