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Partnerships to Align

Education and Careers

Introduction: Building Bridges

Right now in America there is a disconnect between education and the workplace. We can see
this in youth unemployment rates, in youth underemployment, in employers’ reports of a lack of
soft skills among young people entering the workforce for the first time, and in the shortage of
technical skills that prevents employers from filling middle-skill jobs paying a middle-class wage.

For many American youth, the transition from school to the workplace is haphazard and left to
chance. Educators work hard to teach students to the academic standards set by their states, but
employers fret over the poor-quality candidates applying for open positions at their companies.
These educators and employers may live next door to each other, but in many cases they might as
well live in different worlds. Students entering the workforce pay the price for the chasm between
schools and the workplace.

There are, of course, exceptions. In Kentucky, the Tech
Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) Educators and employers
youth apprenticeship program offers high school students may live next door to each other,
the chance to earn industry-recognized credentials and
enter registered apprenticeships. In Colorado, 750 but in many cases they might
businesses are active partners with schools and colleges as well live in different worlds.
in 14 regions of the state. In Georgia, a metro Atlanta
health care industry partnership that includes five local Students pay the price for
workforce boards, eight technical colleges and seven the chasm between schools
school districts is helping to prepare workers for well- and the workplace.
paying middle-skill jobs — for example, certified nursing
assistant and environmental technician — in hospitals
and other health care settings.

Another example is in Texas, where UpSkill Houston has created career pathways that help
women prepare for careers in construction. These and other partnerships bridge the gap
between education and the workplace, benefitting states, workers, employers and communities
across the 16-state region served by the Southern Regional Education Board — and beyond.

The need for strategic industry sector partnerships to bridge the gap between education and
the workplace can be seen in workforce statistics. In its 2019 survey of future workforce needs,
Unprepared and Unaware: Upskilling the Workforce for a Decade of Uncertainty, SREB reported that
the U.S. has lost 7 million manufacturing jobs since 1979. What’s more, according to McKinsey,
44% of current U.S. jobs will be subject to automation between now and 2030. Although the
automated workplace of the future will require greater education, nine million adults in the SREB
region lacked a high school diploma in 2017, and another 21 million had no education beyond
high school.

SREB Commission on Strategic Partnerships for Work-Ready Students | October 2020 1