Ohio is one of the 10 states selected to participate in New Skills for Youth (NSFY), an initiative enhancing state efforts to increase the number of kids across the country who are prepared for success in both college and career. NSFY is a $75 million, five-year initiative developed by JPMorgan Chase in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group.
In Phase One of the initiative, the Ohio NSFY team evaluated the state’s career pathway infrastructure and developed a plan to designate and expand access to high-quality, in-demand career pathways throughout the state.
Phase Two of the NSFY initiative began in January 2017. This snapshot profiles Ohio’s progress in the first year of Phase Two, including:
- Defining high-quality career pathways: Led by a cross-sector team, the state developed criteria for assessing high-quality career pathways at the secondary and postsecondary levels and worked to identify and scale up effective models.
- Strengthening the high school diploma and integrating academic and technical learning: Through a set of initiatives stipulated in the state’s 2017-18 budget bill, the Department of Education developed new frameworks to award credit for work-based learning (WBL) through its credit flexibility provision. Additionally, the Department began developing guidance on awarding simultaneous credit through blended coursework.
- Streamlining career pathways to postsecondary education: With the support of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, Ohio expanded opportunities for high school students to earn industry credentials and postsecondary credit for career pathway courses.
To learn more about this work, read Ohio’s NSFY Phase One Snapshot.
