On August 16, 2022, EdSystems introduced the Career Development Experience Toolkit Facilitation Guide, a new resource designed to guide communities through the process of creating and maintaining successful career development experiences (CDEs). This resource compiles CDE best practices and resources into manageable action items adaptable to your community’s needs. Additionally, the guide highlights common barriers and solutions for engaging underrepresented youth and how mentorship can make CDEs more equitable.
Our goal is to improve access and engagement in CDEs across the state. Whether you are in the early planning stages or looking for a way to improve your existing work-based learning programming, we hope this resource can help your community design together and build high-quality CDEs.
Additional Career Development Experience Resources
The Facilitation Guide builds on existing resources published by EdSystems:
- Career Development Experience Toolkit
The Career Development Experience Toolkit adheres to the framework of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. The guide and online resources are designed to serve any organization seeking to provide youth with rigorous work-based learning opportunities. Career development experiences are part of Illinois’ broader work-based learning continuum and refer to a broad array of experiential learning that addresses the components included in the statutory definition of the Career Pathways Dictionary. - Career Development Experience Toolkit Companion Piece
This extension aims to provide resources to address the needs of CDE stakeholders outside of a traditional high school setting, including workforce development organizations, community-based organizations, and alternative high schools. This companion piece targets these organizations and employers to serve youth more inclusively.
