The Coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the careers of many Americans, and wreaked havoc on our education system, from pre-K to adult learning. Unemployment has reached new levels, further exacerbating inequities that have been deepened by Coronavirus.
But, with great challenges come even greater motivation and innovation. Organizations and individuals are finding new ways to further their careers and education and are keeping hope alive as we all work to adapt to a new normal.
In this current climate, new approaches for creating a greater abundance of effective and affordable pathways for low-income learners are more important than ever. Two years ago, ten community-based teams embarked on a journey to do just that. They participated in the MTMU Adult Career Pathways Design Challenge, which focused on the creation of bold, sustainable career pathways approaches for low-income adults (aged 26+) for a chance to win $100,000 in prize money.
Fast forward to present day, the ten teams have rich and timely lessons to share on how to innovate within adult career pathways. These lessons are captured through a soon-to-be-released toolkit that highlights the ten teams’ innovations and discusses three essential principles for their success—Being Adaptable, Removing Barriers, and Maximizing Potential. The toolkit also discusses policy opportunities and tangible next steps to create or iterate on current adult career pathways models that close gaps and create greater mobility for low-income adults, especially in a climate of growing unemployment, deeper socioeconomic divides, and changing technology.
The MTMU Toolkit: A Collection of Place-Based Solutions for Future Adult Career Pathways Models, will be released the week of September 20th as part of COABE’s Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. So, stay tuned for your link to receive the toolkit, and don’t miss out on promising approaches to reskilling and upskilling adults at this critical point in history!
