News

Exploring Innovative Financing Models to Strengthen Talent Pipelines

Opportunities exist for integral stakeholders to form partnerships and explore effective and sustainable financing models for workforce training programs. A grant to Social Finance will encourage this coordination, which we envision leading to more robust, equitable training options for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility.

Ascendium Releases 2023 Education Philanthropy Report, From Learning to Action

Ascendium released its 2023 Education Philanthropy Report, From Learning to Action. The report highlights our “learning while doing” approach to grantmaking.

Skills Boost: Wisconsin Technical College System Apprentices Receive $1.6M in Scholarships from Ascendium

Hundreds of apprentices in the Wisconsin Technical College System receive Tools of the Trade scholarships from Ascendium in 2024.

Sectoral Training Insights, Promotions for Key Ascendium Team Members, and More

• What We Have Learned — and Still Need to Learn — About Sectoral Training Programs
• Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy Announces Strategic Promotions to Elevate Impact

What We Have Learned — and Still Need to Learn — About Sectoral Training Programs

Sectoral training programs can be effective in addressing the needs of both employers and learners. However, there are still big questions about what aspects of these programs work best, and for whom. Over the coming months, Ascendium will draw on insights from a recent convening of leading researchers, our current investments, and the field to explore future investments focused on advancing evidence on the conditions and mechanisms needed to deliver and scale high-quality sectoral training programs.

Ascendium's Education Philanthropy Announces Strategic Promotions to Elevate Impact

Ascendium is pleased to announce the promotions of three internal team members. In their new roles, Deputy Director of Learning and Impact Jessa Valentine, Senior Program Officer of Strategic Engagement Amy Kuether, and Program Officer Ashley Parker will propel new and ongoing initiatives. These organizational changes signal Ascendium’s commitment to the evolving needs of learners from low-income backgrounds.

Michigan Community College Association Lays the Groundwork for State-Level Policy Changes

The Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) is a leading advocate for postsecondary education and workforce development in Michigan, collaborating with the right people to implement and scale effective programs as well as informing state-level representatives of what student success could look like for thousands of learners in the state. The efforts of organizations like MCCA help lay the groundwork for program and policy changes that result in improvements to postsecondary education and workforce training systems.

Building Data-Driven Pathways to Good Jobs Through Community Partnerships

How can postsecondary education and workforce training institutions help ensure that talent pipelines for good jobs are effective, equitable, and data-driven? Two new grants that focus on community partnerships to support developing pathways informed by labor market data may help answer this question.

Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Trends, Ascendium Welcomes Three Members, and More

• Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Trends We’re Watching in 2024
• Ascendium Welcomes Three Members to Education Philanthropy Team
• Grants to Community-Based Organizations Aim to Strengthen Workforce-Aligned Training Pathways for Rural Learners

Stackable Credentials: Making College Work for More Students

Stackable credentials are a way for learners to build their education and careers in steps, but evidence for these programs is scarce. RAND researchers pulled data from two states to learn if the programs deliver, under what circumstances, and for whom.