Streamline Key Learner Transitions

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.

Download The PDF

Our Three Investment Priorities

Explore diverse pathways to and through postsecondary education and workforce training.

Identify and test diverse pathways (e.g., short-term credentials, apprenticeships, career pathways/hybrid college models) that promote upward socioeconomic mobility for learners from low-income backgrounds.
Support the scaling of diverse pathway models with promising results to serve greater numbers of learners from low-income backgrounds.

Ease transitions between, and returning to, postsecondary education providers.

Support innovative policies and practices that create more integrated, holistic approaches to giving learners credit for prior learning (including transfer credits).
Support the implementation of strategies proven to ease the transition from community colleges to four-year institutions.

Smooth transitions between postsecondary education and the workforce.

Identify and advance strategies that support the strengthening of infrastructure, usability and standardization of data across sectors related to learner success and socioeconomic mobility.
Find, evaluate and support scaling of postsecondary education practices that are yielding strong workforce outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.

Grants to Streamline Key Learner Transitions

FAFSA Completion Challenge

Scaling

National College Attainment Network|$1,000,000|4/2018 - 8/2020

This grant supports the National College Access Network in helping 30 large cities with lower-than-average FAFSA completion rates implement plans to increase communitywide rates.

Creating Postsecondary Pathways for Thread Students

Exploration

Thread Inc|$277,000|7/2019 - 6/2020

This grants supports Thread in an effort to conduct a planning initiative to audit, strengthen, and codify their relationship-driven approach to supporting underserved young adults in five core postsecondary pathways: two-year degree completion, four-year degree completion, entrepreneurship, trade school/apprenticeships and straight-to-workforce.

Text Steps Summer Melt Texting

Scaling

Ben Castleman|$7,875|5/2018 - 5/2020

This grant supports Ben Castleman in providing consulting to the 13 Wisconsin public school districts participating in the Text Steps summer melt project.

View All Ascendium Grants

1
...
4
5
6
7
8 (current)

Latest News

May 26, 2023

Recent Resources Show the Value of Good Workforce Training Programs

A college education can be transformative, but it’s not the only route to career success. We’ve rounded up three resources highlighting promising approaches to workforce training that are already working to improve the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds.

May 18, 2023

Meet Our New Program Officer for Strategic Engagement, Learn How Rural Community Colleges Are Helping Learners, and More

Introducing Our New Program Officer for Strategic Engagement, Amy Kuether
Rural Community Colleges Utilize Strengths and Assets to Improve Learner Success
Perspectives from the Field: Community Colleges Connect Learners to Credentials that Meet Local Workforce Needs

View All News for this Focus Area

Resources

States Can Take Steps to Address Potential Barriers to Equity in Stackable Credential Pipelines

To ensure that stackable credentials are advancing equity, states and institutions can take actions to scale initiatives in ways that ensure learners from low-income backgrounds have access to and succeed in these pathways. A new research brief offers insights and recommendations for stakeholders based on a study of potential barriers within stackable credential pipelines.

Visit Site

Do Low-Income Students Benefit from Stacking Credentials? Descriptive Evidence from Colorado and Ohio

Stackable credential programs may be especially helpful for learners from historically underserved communities as they provide greater flexibility to pursue postsecondary education and workforce training. Using data from Colorado and Ohio, this research brief details the differences in credential-stacking and labor market returns from stacking for learners from low-income backgrounds versus middle- and high-income learners.

Visit Site

View All Resources for this Focus Area