A new paper highlights how innovative education-to-employment programs can accelerate employment prospects for low-income adults. The two-part report by Tyton Partners and The James Irvine Foundation, “Path to Employment: Maximizing the Impact of Alternative Pathways Programs,” examines how Alternative Pathways Programs can prepare participants for validated, in-demand workforce opportunities.
Alternative Pathways Programs (APPs) are generally non-accredited, employment-oriented education and training initiatives that promise a pathway into the workforce for opportunity youth and adults. According to the report, APPs have three characteristics:
- They focus on education and training for specific jobs and careers
- They maintain tight relationships with employers and industries to help facilitate job placement for participants
- They usually don’t offer a degree or certificate
In the first part, the report defines the concept of APPs and explores the rapidly expanding segment of non-traditional programs and how these programs are connecting low-income students to “meaningful entry-level jobs and new career pathways.”
Moreover, the first part provides the characteristics of successful APPs by identifying the six “pillars” of APPs:
- Enrollment Policies
- Participant Support
- Labor Market Alignment
- Connections
- Training Mix
- Financial Mode
These pillars provide a blueprint for existing and new APPs to audit their model, infrastructure, and support services to reach more participants and improve outcomes.
The second part of the report takes a closer look at how a group of Alternative Pathway program organizations are driving success through well-designed models. Including the profiles of nine organizations and a broad list of innovative providers in the space.
For more information visit the Tyton Partners website.
This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0