Three Reasons Why We Need Career-Connected Learning

Understanding and addressing the complexities of career-connected learning is essential to creating accessible and innovative career pathways for learners. 

As one of the nation's largest communities of practice focused on career-connected learning, Catalyze is at the forefront of transforming how learners aged 11-22 engage with education and career opportunities. Through practical experience and research, Catalyze and its grantees have gained insights into the elements that foster successful career-connected learning programs. These include developing learner agency through building self-awareness, self-efficacy and career readiness. 

Below, we list three key ways that career-connected learning meets the needs of diverse stakeholders — including learners, workers and employers — and how Catalyze grantees exemplify the power of effective career-connected learning.

Bridge the gap between education and employment.

Establishing high-quality career-connected learning programs is complex as it requires collaboration and commitment from schools and local employers to create opportunities. In an American Student Assistance (ASA) survey, 79% of high school students were interested in work-based learning experiences — yet only 34% knew of opportunities available for their age group. 

Career-connected learning helps to bridge that gap. For example, Catalyze grantee Oregon STEM collaborated with ten rural STEM Hubs across the state to connect education and industry and provide students with the essential knowledge and skills required for success in the workforce.

In summer 2023, 86 students were given the opportunity to intern with 28 employer partners, including KEITH Manufacturing Co., the McKenzie Willamette Medical Center and PBS Eugene. The summer’s outcomes speak for themselves — 90% of students reported feeling more confident about their future career opportunities and 79% felt the program played a vital role in guiding them toward tangible career steps. At the same time, 96% of employer partners reported that the program made them more committed to creating opportunities for students to develop key skills and 97% gained a clearer understanding of their role in building student career readiness.

Combat uncertainty and lack of preparation for life after school. 

Learners want the agency to pursue their passions and interests and find meaningful work. However, many students say they feel uncertain about the best pathways to achieve their goals and lack information to make informed decisions. According to a poll by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, only 29% of Gen Z learners believe that their school is preparing them for the workplace, and only about 50% of middle and high school students say they’re learning skills relevant to the jobs they want. 

In contrast, more than 70% of learners in Catalyze-supported programs feel their career-connected learning experiences enabled them to pursue their career goals. Organizations in the Catalyze community ensure all students have access to meaningful opportunities starting at a young age. 

“CodeSpeak Labs not only gave us the skills our chosen fields demand, it also equipped us

with the confidence to think of our passions differently — as bankable skills, not only enjoyable hobbies,” said Issouf Diarrassouba, an aspiring software engineer, and Yeasin Haque, a future

photographer. Both are alumni of CodeSpeak Labs, a Catalyze grantee. “Today, we’re putting into practice everything we learned, no longer worrying about whether we have the skills or career connections to follow our dreams. Our experience demonstrates the power of career-connected learning, and we hope all students have opportunities like we did.”

Offer diverse pathways to careers, because four-year degrees do not serve all learners. 

Early conversations about career options can help students develop a greater awareness of their place in the world and in their community. But many students don’t gain access to information or experiences that help them develop the agency and self-awareness to determine what career pathway they should take. Every individual should have access to diverse learning opportunities that enable them to discover meaningful work, even if they choose a path that doesn't include obtaining a four-year degree.

At Catalyze, we believe that there is no one-size-fits-all pathway for young people to pursue meaningful and fulfilling careers. Our grantees give learners the skills, knowledge and experiences they need to navigate education and career opportunities. 

Hopeworks, a Catalyze grantee, not only provides training resources for young adults, some of whom may not have completed high school, but also provides trauma-informed care and helps place them into high-quality, economically fulfilling employment opportunities in their communities. Providing holistic support that meets each student’s needs has proven highly effective — 12 months into employment, Hopeworks fellows have a retention rate of more than 90%.

Fully addressing each of these challenges, and broadly implementing effective solutions, remains a work in progress. The Catalyze community of practice continues to change the narrative around pathways to success and uplift best practices and innovative approaches to guide the future of career-connected learning.