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Capital-Area Leaders Work Together to Bring

Career-Connected Courses to High Schoolers

eaders from Capital- Those credits can be
area education and applied to associate’s
Lindustry have joined or bachelor’s degrees,
an initiative funded by the ultimately saving the
Bill and Melinda Gates students money on tuition
Foundation to bring more costs while moving them
career-connected learning closer to their chosen
opportunities to the careers.
region’s high schoolers.
“We're really trying to increase the access and the
The initiative is called Accelerated ED: Seamless Pathways equitable opportunity for students to take advantage
to Degrees and Careers. Community leaders invited of these types of programs,” said Strasz. “We want
to participate in the initiative are asked to design a to grow our talent here at home. We have so many
“blueprint” to connect underserved high school students students that haven't been exposed to the different
– particularly students of color and those experiencing high-demand, high-wage industries that are available
poverty – to college credits and regional workforce here in the community. We all need to come together
sectors that have strong demand and better salaries. to do a better job of exposing students to these
opportunities.”
Students can receive college credits while still in high
school through dual-enrollment programs and early- Strasz said the Accelerate
college programs, according to Michele Strasz, executive ED initiative is well-
director of the Capital Area College Access Network. aligned with her work at We want to grow
the Capital Area College
Access Network, a our talent here at
Does your community community collaborative home.”
focused on increasing
feel scattered? college and career —Michele Strasz,
executive director,
readiness. This Gates
Foundation-backed Capital Area
15 16 17 18 opportunity gives Strasz
14 College Access
13 19 and her colleagues access
12 20 to grant funding and Network
11 strategy sessions with
21 other communities doing
10 similar work.
22
9
23 To that end, the Lansing region’s Accelerate ED team
8 – 10 leaders representing local colleges, K-12 schools,
24
healthcare, communications, and transportation industries
7 25 – traveled to Austin, Texas in early-February to learn best
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6 practices and meet the other teams. Strasz expects eight
5 1 27 teams will participate in this year’s Accelerate ED program,
4 3 2
31 28 while 12 teams were invited last year.
30
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As part of the strategic planning process, the local
Accelerate ED team will need to decide which industries
Connect the dots with strategic storytelling to encourage students to consider, Strasz said.

“Then we're going to need to convene with industry
representatives, education and community partners
to design this pathway, the programming, and wrap-
Community-Building Creative around services that students need to be successful,”
she said. l
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