How Baltimore Schools Prepare Students for Meaningful Careers

According to the 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, 6% of Maryland teens are neither in school nor working. To help students explore paths to employment and gain valuable job skills and experiences, Baltimore City Public Schools has invested in career readiness programming. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, City Schools is implementing strategies such as the Baltimore Career Coaching Initiative (BCCI).
“For over five years, this career readiness programming has accomplished transformational work in Baltimore schools,” said Sara Cooper, director of Employment, Education and Training at the Casey Foundation. “Not only are students discovering and exploring careers that interest them, but they also receive critical navigation, support and resources early on that will position them to succeed as adults.”
What Is Career Readiness?
City Schools’ career readiness programming helps students graduate with the necessary knowledge, skills and credentials they need to secure jobs that pay a living wage. Through these efforts, students:
- gain career exposure opportunities from as early as elementary school;
- receive hands-on experience in labs that meet industry standards;
- apply their learning in real-world settings, such as pharmacies and hospitals;
- learn and build connections with industry professionals; and
- access work-based learning experiences in fields such as IT or health care.
The Baltimore Career Coaching Initiative
BCCI is the latest career readiness partnership between the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore City Community College.
“Thanks to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation, all Maryland education agencies are required to have career coaching initiatives that prepare young people for success in college and the workforce,” said Cooper. “Because BCCI’s three partners have previously collaborated on other initiatives that support young people — such as Careerbound — they were able to get on the same page very quickly.”
BCCI uses a three-point approach to work with students:
- In-class workshops cover career readiness topics like developing professional strengths and writing a resume.
- Small group support and mentorship help students better understand and pursue their career goals.
- Data collection and interpretation with young people inform the design of career fairs and employer tours while better connecting students to internships, apprenticeships and other paid employment opportunities.
Additionally, BCCI has embedded 46 career coaches in all 115 Baltimore middle and high schools.
“So often, young people do not have the luxury of exploring what they want to do with their lives before they graduate,” said Brady Wheeler, BCCI senior program manager. “These career coaches can work one-on-one with students and help them really think about their future careers and how to pursue them.”
Leading With Data
Baltimore City Public Schools’ career readiness strategy is informed by a data-driven, multi-year strategic plan developed with support from Casey grantee Project Evident.
Since its implementation, City Schools has consistently utilized data to monitor student progress and ensure students and teachers have the resources they need.
The career readiness strategy has also enabled City Schools to allocate millions of dollars toward:
- improving facilities and student learning resources;
- embedding work-based learning into the core curriculum for high schoolers; and
- expanding career exposure opportunities for elementary and middle school students.
“Throughout its newly developed strategic plan, City Schools has utilized data and evidence to change processes and make decisions that center student outcomes,” said Bi Vuong, managing director and chief program and impact officer at Project Evident. “This strategic reallocation of resources, process improvements and expansion of work-based learning opportunities is a reflection of [its] commitment to students’ long-term success outside the classroom.”
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