Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) aims to bridge the gap between high schools in southwestern Illinois and postsecondary education, supporting a seamless transition to community college. By creating structured, regional college and career pathways, the initiative supports students from diverse backgrounds—particularly those who are from low-income families, historically marginalized populations, experiencing homelessness, or living with disabilities. The goal is to enhance educational opportunities, increase postsecondary enrollment, and equip students with the skills and support they need to thrive in their careers. The initiative will support the development of college and career pathways for the healthcare and manufacturing industry sectors.
Our Role
In 2025, EdSystems is providing strategic counsel and support to SWIC to develop a comprehensive college and career pathway system. The system will align with Illinois’ College and Career Pathway Endorsement framework and build on EdSystems’ work with state agency partners to develop the State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides. The result will be a framework that high schools across the county can use to develop and implement high-quality pathways leading to living-wage careers in southwestern Illinois. The framework will include:
- Identify priority occupations in healthcare and manufacturing areas that are high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand based on federal Department of Labor data for the metropolitan region.
- Review SWIC programs of study that can be labeled as promising credentials, including degree and certificate programs and industry credentials that lead to high-priority and alternative occupations based on a local review of career opportunities.
- Incorporating regional opportunities for meaningful work-based learning.
As a part of this process, EdSystems will also consult with the college and partner districts to identify strategic early college courses that provide a broad foundation of knowledge important to that industry area and are feasible for dual credit delivery and CTE alignment.
Additionally, EdSystems is supporting SWIC and its school district and industry partners in defining a comprehensive work-based learning continuum aligned with Illinois policies and definitions, which include career awareness, career exploration, team-based challenges, and career development experiences. EdSystems will support SWIC in identifying opportunities to host or support regional opportunities to support the facilitation of high-quality work-based learning.
In collaboration with SWIC and its partners, EdSystems will then map an ideal sequence of secondary and postsecondary coursework for each college and career pathway (grades 9–14). The map will include general education courses (e.g., science, social science, math, English), CTE courses, and work-based learning opportunities for grades 9–14, incorporating both strategic early college and transitional instruction opportunities. The regional pathways maps will serve as models that SWIC’s partner high school districts can implement as-is or further customize based on local capacities and demands.
