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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

Streamline Key Learner Transitions

Our philanthropy supports institutions and systems as they work to facilitate seamless transitions between educational and career opportunities after high school.

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How We See the Problem

Leveraging workforce training, transferring between postsecondary providers and entering or re-entering the workforce are pivotal moments in a learner’s career or academic journey. Institutions and systems can implement policies and practices that inadvertently make these transitions difficult. For example, when curricula don’t align, or information systems are incapable of sharing data effectively, students risk losing credits, momentum and money. The jump from postsecondary education into the workforce also presents challenges, especially when institutions offer programming that does not align with the skills employers need.

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Ascendium's Approach

An investment priority to...

Explore diverse pathways to and through postsecondary education and workforce training

Means we support...

  • Identifying, validating and scaling high-quality, nontraditional postsecondary education and training models, such as apprenticeships, career pathways, short term credentials and competency-based education
  • Promoting collaboration between postsecondary education and non-degree providers

Which will lead to...

  • Increasing learners’ understanding of the credentialing landscape and equitable pathways to careers
  • Increasing learner completion of nontraditional postsecondary education and training that enhance their readiness and access to employment, sustainable career pathways and additional education
  • Recognition from the traditional academe of high-quality, non-degree credentials and training, resulting in accessible and equitable pathways to additional education and careers

An investment priority to...

Ease transitions between, and returning to, postsecondary providers

Means we support...

  • Reforming policy and practice to improve transfer and application of credit at system, state and regional levels
  • Supporting effective strategies to reengage adult learners with some college, but no degree

Which will lead to...

  • Learners with some college but no degree re-enrolling and earning a high-quality credential
  • Increasing the number of learners who successfully move between education providers without losing credit, slowing momentum or delaying credential completion

An investment priority to...

Smooth transitions between postsecondary education and the workforce

Means we support...

  • Promoting postsecondary alignment and collaboration with workforce and economic development
  • Expanding data infrastructure and information sharing between postsecondary education providers and the workforce
  • Scaling effective institutional policies and practices that promote successful job placement leading to socioeconomic mobility

Which will lead to...

  • Postsecondary and workforce systems sharing data to provide learners with relevant education that meets economic and workforce needs and learners’ goals
  • Postsecondary institutions demonstrating commitment to learners’ career outcomes

Grants to Streamline Key Learner Transitions

To learn about our approach to grantmaking (Exploration, Validation, Scaling), visit our How We Fund page.

Enhancing the Reverse Transfer of Credit Pathway

Scaling
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center|$300,000|11/2017 - 4/2019
This grant supports the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center in improving and expanding institutional use of its reverse transfer platform to retroactively award degrees earned by students before they left college.

Tools of the Trade Apprentice Scholarship

Scaling
Wisconsin Technical College System|$270,000|8/2018 - 3/2019
This grant supports $1,500 scholarships awarded to up to 180 construction and industrial trade apprentices attending a Wisconsin Technical College System college during the spring 2019 semester.
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Latest News

January 11, 2022

Ascendium Invests $15.6M in Grants on Degree Completion, Apprenticeship Strategy, Rural Learner Research and More

Ascendium has approved $15.6 million for 18 new grants focused on a range of subjects, including degree completion, apprenticeship strategy, postsecondary education in prison and the unique needs of rural learners. All are focused on our mission of helping more people from low-income backgrounds reach their academic and career goals. Read on for highlights of the promising new efforts we’re supporting.

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December 16, 2021

New Partnership with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Our Growing and Evolving Team and More

  • Ascendium Partners with The Chronicle of Higher Education to Prioritize Student Success
  • Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy Team Continues to Grow
Read More
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Resources

Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance Pathways Action Team: A Brief

The Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance Pathways Action Team, with funding from Ascendium, has been studying how career pathways can be improved through increased accessibility of credential information. The team shared their assessment of the current pathways in a new brief, which also lays out their plans to continue to support pathways for learners from low-income backgrounds in the Midwest.

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Bucking the Trend: How Some Institutions Grew Their Transfer Enrollment Amid a Pandemic

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center found that close to 200,000 fewer students transferred between colleges in the 2020-21 academic year than in the previous year. However, not all colleges saw steep declines in transfer enrollment. With funding from Ascendium and ECMC Foundation, the NSC Research Center continues to explore the data, with this guest authored report offering insights into how some colleges were actually able to grow their transfer enrollment in 2020-21.

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Carolynn
Lee

Senior Program Officer,
Streamline Key Learner Transitions

Maryann
Rainey

Program Officer,
Streamline Key Learner Transitions

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