A Guide to Creating Career Pathways for Young People

A new resource from Johns Hop­kins Uni­ver­si­ty explores an effort to bol­ster aca­d­e­m­ic and career path­ways for young peo­ple. The On Track to Career Suc­cess play­book shares insights from six schools in Louisiana and New Mex­i­co that helped to cre­ate and imple­ment a frame­work for bet­ter sup­port­ing stu­dents in build­ing skills, grad­u­at­ing high school and pur­su­ing careers. 

Fund­ed by the Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion, the play­book caters to orga­ni­za­tions along the school-to-work con­tin­u­um: sec­ondary schools, high­er edu­ca­tion peers and work­force partners. 

“The On Track to Career Suc­cess play­book trans­lates research and best prac­tice into action,” said Ilene Berman, direc­tor of evi­dence-based prac­tice at the Casey Foun­da­tion. ​“The six school part­ners helped shape the play­book, and their work illus­trates how data-informed, com­mu­ni­ty-dri­ven strate­gies can sup­port stu­dents on their path to grad­u­a­tion and beyond.”

What is the On Track to Career Suc­cess Framework?

The On Track to Career Suc­cess (OTCS) frame­work serves as a cus­tomiz­able foun­da­tion for help­ing schools, edu­ca­tors and adults part­ner with and empow­er young peo­ple as they move through high school and into careers. 

In prac­tice, the OTCS frame­work has helped to improve high school grad­u­a­tion rates. It has also strength­ened stu­dent engage­ment and enabled smoother tran­si­tions into post­sec­ondary edu­ca­tion and the workforce. 

The frame­work is com­posed of three key elements:

1. Mile­stone Track­ing. High school stu­dents who achieve a series of evi­dence-based aca­d­e­m­ic, social-emo­tion­al, col­lege and career mile­stones are more like­ly to be on track to career success.
2. Stu­dent Suc­cess Sys­tems. Teams mon­i­tor stu­dent progress in three areas — atten­dance, engage­ment and course per­for­mance — that are well-estab­lished pre­dic­tive indi­ca­tors of high school grad­u­a­tion and col­lege success.
3. Path­ways to Career Suc­cess. School and com­mu­ni­ty part­ners work togeth­er to give all stu­dents a series of col­lege and career explo­rations, expe­ri­ences and engagements. 

A Col­lab­o­ra­tive Effort Informed by Stu­dent Voices 

Many voic­es and per­spec­tives informed the OTCS frame­work and play­book. Stu­dents were among the project’s key col­lab­o­ra­tors, accord­ing to Sarah Gon­za­lez, a senior asso­ciate with the Casey Foun­da­tion. ​“The part­ners under­stood that this was an oppor­tu­ni­ty to build trust and cen­ter the expe­ri­ences of stu­dents. Gain­ing their per­spec­tives informed the changes need­ed to improve out­comes and it led to some very organ­ic lead­er­ship oppor­tu­ni­ties for the young peo­ple they worked with.”

The play­book also rec­om­mends a range of tools — such as resources and team-build­ing exer­cis­es — that OTCS part­ners found help­ful when design­ing their strategies.

“The On Track to Career Suc­cess frame­work — co-cre­at­ed with stu­dents, teach­ers and school lead­ers — is designed to equip school com­mu­ni­ties with adapt­able strate­gies they can tai­lor to their own cir­cum­stances,” said Bob Bal­fanz, direc­tor of the Every­one Grad­u­ates Cen­ter at Johns Hop­kins Uni­ver­si­ty. ​“Its goal is to help schools cre­ate the sup­port and expe­ri­ences stu­dents need to stay on a path­way to career and adult suc­cess, and to ensure these oppor­tu­ni­ties are avail­able to all students.”

Dis­cov­er how the OTCS frame­work helped stu­dents dur­ing the COVID-19 pandemic