What if every student graduated not just with a diploma, but also with college credit and a clear plan for the future? In Lake County, Illinois, this vision is becoming a reality, and it’s raising the bar for what college and career readiness looks like statewide.
Through a partnership supported by EdSystems, in collaboration with the College of Lake County, the Lake County Regional Office of Education, Lake County Tech Campus, Lake County Partners, the Hunter Family Foundation, and the Gorter Family Foundation, Lake County school districts are aligning their pathways with local workforce needs. The aim: to prepare students not only for college, but for meaningful careers in high-demand, living-wage fields in the region.
Stakeholder Engagement: Grounded in Community Voice
The design of Lake County’s pathways wasn’t done in a vacuum. Over the past year, EdSystems and its partners facilitated regional convenings, focus groups, and working groups with various teachers and administrators to ensure the pathways reflect local needs and diverse perspectives. This inclusive process ensures that pathway courses are community-informed and accessible.
All pathway efforts are firmly anchored in state and national guidance, including Career and Technical Education (CTE), the College and Career Pathway Endorsements framework, the State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides, and the state’s Recommended Technical and Essential Employability Competencies for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. This alignment not only supports state policy compliance but also supports dual credit course portability and course consistency across the region.
Regional Pathway Design: Aligning Coursework with the Real World
In response to Illinois’ HB3296 and the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act, the Lake County Regional Career Pathway initiative provides students with access to college and career pathways that deliver early college credit, essential work-based learning, and industry-recognized credentials.
EdSystems and its partners developed and finalized regional model pathway maps, rooted in labor market analysis and aligned with priority industry sectors, including healthcare, advanced manufacturing, IT, and education. These maps build on the State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides, integrate CTE, and include general education dual credit opportunities, enabling students to make progress toward degrees and careers before high school graduation.
- Healthcare: Allied Health & Nursing
- Advanced Manufacturing: Welding, CAD, Industrial Technology & HVAC
- Information Technology: Computer Forensics, Cybersecurity & Web Programming
- Education: Early Childhood & Education
- Business & Finance: Accounting & Management/Marketing
Work-Based Learning Continuum: Bringing Employers into the Classroom
Recognizing the need for classroom knowledge to be grounded in real-world context, the partnership conducted a comprehensive inventory of work-based learning opportunities across the region. The result of this work is a mapped landscape of current work-based learning offerings along the work-based learning continuum, aligned with the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary and integrated with essential employability and technical competencies, to support regional collaboration and move toward a system that better meets the needs of students and partners.
To streamline access, EdSystems is developing flowcharts, planning tools, and implementation guides designed to help educators and workforce partners navigate available opportunities. These resources also support educators and employers in scaling efforts across districts, increasing administrator access, employer visibility, and identifying areas where professional development may be needed.
Looking Ahead: A Stronger Future for Lake County Students
With strong foundations in place, Lake County is now shifting from design to implementation. Together with our partners, our 2025–26 work plan will focus on helping school districts customize and implement the regional pathway models. We will also launch a regional resource repository to support navigation of work-based learning for students, educators, and workforce partners. To better understand the long-term impact of this work, we will also evaluate key metrics, including student pathway enrollment, early college credit accumulation, credential attainment, and postsecondary outcomes.
