Defining and Strengthening Pathways to Post-secondary Education and Careers

In the Workforce Strategy Center's report, Employers, Low-Income Young Adults, and Postsecondary Credentials, it is noted that the US Department of Labor is predicting a labor shortage of more than 35 million skilled and educated workers over the next 30 years. The gap cannot be filled through efforts to reform K-12 alone. Attainment of a post secondary credential will be required for all but the most basic job opportunities. Many do not even possess the academic skills needed to enroll and succeed in a community college. The solution must include identifying strategies to engage those beyond high school and low-skilled adults, many of them working, through employer-based career pathway models. The Literacy Cooperative continues to lead the conversation with several of the largest local employers to create a career pathway model that includes a work-based literacy component.

Community Re-entry

Through a partnership with the Greater Cleveland Integrated Re-Entry Project, The Literacy Cooperative is working to develop strategies to facilitate effective transitions for ex-offenders and their families. The goal is to design a career pathway models that connects ex-offenders and their families to literacy and technical training services, an array of supportive services and ultimately connect them to career track jobs. Please contact Robert Paponetti for additional information on the Community Re-entry initiative.
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