A February 2011 report from Harvard Graduate School of Education addresses the importance of providing relevant career pathways for students in America. Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21^st Century urges educators, employers and community to collaborate to assist the next generation of workers who face serious challenges to workforce success.

The report offers reason to pay attention to millions of students who become academically and vocationally disenfranchised:

• The Workforce Dilemma. Jobs, paid internships and apprenticeships for teens and young adults lead to greater employment and earnings opportunities. Yet, the jobless rate for teens is at the highest level since World War II. Low-income, minority youth are especially affected. Unable to be productive, low-income teenage males are more likely get into trouble with the law, while low-income female teens are more likely to become single mothers.
• Post-Secondary Education For All versus College for  All. Much of the job growth that has occurred in America requires some post-secondary education. Many of these jobs require specialized technical, healthcare and information technology training, for example. However, in 2010 only about 4 in 10 Americans in their mid twenties held an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree. Less than half of students who enroll in college leave without a degree. Furthermore, America can't ignore the future workforce gap of 20 million youth not bound for college.
• The Dropout Crisis. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that the U.S. can now claim the highest dropout rate in the world. One million students are choosing not to earn a high school degree. Many students give up due to academic struggles, while others indicate classes are boring and have no relevance to their life. These individuals will contribute $300,000 less to society than the average high school graduate.
• America Falling Behind. Other nations are beginning to surpass the U.S. in academic achievement and attainment. Race and poverty factor into school outcomes in the U.S. more than participating countries. Many advanced nations place greater emphasis on vocational education, perhaps doing a better job of offering a comprehensive, career-focused pathways system to engage students.

After a compelling review of America’s challenges and promising practices, along with some of Europe’s solutions, the expectedly controversial Pathways report offers three propositions. The first, a broader vision of school reform offering multiple career pathways to engage student interest from high school to adulthood. The second, expanding the role of employers as partners in supporting youth along the pathways. And the third, developing a new social compact with our youth involving collective responsibility for their education and training.

Connecting the local workforce challenge
The Central Valley's job market challenge drew national attention in January when the Washington Post wrote about companies in Fresno unable to find qualified workers in the midst of a valley jobless rate exceeding 17 percent. These include companies like Jain Irrigation and Community Regional Medical Center who have hundreds of jobs available for individuals with technical skills - STEM skills. 

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin responded in The Fresno Bee by saying, "For more than a decade now in Fresno, we have been trying to deal with the roots of chronic unemployment and we know that a big part of it is education and training for the people who live here." Swearengin went on to say that about 7,000 jobs in Fresno County remain unfilled due to lack of qualified skills.

What does this have to do with afterschool?
The call to action for afterschool programs is to consider how addressing career interests and pathways can become a greater part of curriculum objectives. The fun, hands-on approach to afterschool learning lends itself to career exploration. Do students who enjoy arts classes understand arts-related career opportunities and the importance of post-secondary education? Are students in afterschool STEM courses learning about vocational opportunities and being exposed to professionals from their community? Are programs reaching out to employers to shape lesson plans and help students make relevant connections to their lives?

Central Valley Afterschool Foundation will be incorporating career-focused learning opportunities into afterschool curriculum, while engaging in collaborative dialogue with employers. We invite you to join us as we help underserved students discover career interests and explore pathways they never dreamed possible.

Quotes from Pathways to Prosperity

“America will not be able to resolve the crisis of unemployment, or the problem of losing the international race for more college graduates, by ignoring the large proportion of learners who achieve at high levels in applied learning settings.”  Dr. Gail Mellow, President, LaGuardia Community College

"Pathways to Prosperity points to the need for expanded employment and work-based learning opportunities for young people, closer ties between post-secondary education/training and the workplace, and expanded youth apprenticeships."  Andrew Sum, Director, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University

“…tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college, a four-year school, vocational training, or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.”  U.S. President Barack Obama in a 2009 Speech