These positions pay well. And many of them require associate degrees, certificates, or other hands-on instruction, not four years of college.
Still, a lot of high school students don’t necessarily know how to get from earning their diplomas to earning a living. They may not even know what roles are out there.
That’s why we need to transform education, so that it does a better job of preparing students for careers.
Nearly 60 percent of graduating high school students don’t go directly to a four-year college. Six out of every 10 students.
Are high schools designed to meet the needs of those students – the majority – who won’t go directly to a four-year university?
Too many schools aren’t.
Yes, we should still expand access and affordability for students who want to go immediately to a four-year college after high school.
But we also need to dramatically expand the opportunities we provide for students who may pursue something else. And that means that everyone needs a chance to explore future careers in high school.
Career-connected learning meets that need.
I’ve seen it around the country.
In Wisconsin, Governor Evers is scaling a model for starting apprenticeships in high school in fields from finance to nursing. In Vermont, Governor Scott is investing in dual enrollment and free community college. And in Indiana, I saw how students are getting training for careers in clean energy.
These states show us what it looks like when students have access to comprehensive career advising, when they are able to take community college courses in high school and even earn a credential, and when they can earn high school course credit for working at a job.
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