College & Career Pathways

News

Expanding the Law and Public Safety Pathway in Rockford

The support Rockford Public Schools receives from Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University, thanks to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, is helping to drive aligned college and career pathways forward, including the Law and Public Safety pathway.

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A high school student looks up while taking notes in class
Project

PWR Act

EdSystems staff and their partners led a multi-year process to develop and enact the PWR Act in close collaboration with a broad range of education and workforce stakeholders.

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Resource

I-WIN Resources

Explore resources to support innovative and equitable work-based learning opportunities, including a statewide resource bank of team-based challenges.

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Exterior of Ridgewood High School
News

Ridgewood H.S. First in IL to Award College & Career Pathway Endorsement

As students across the state return to school, many high school students are now working towards earning a College and Career Pathway Endorsement. Ridgewood High School, located in the Chicago suburbs and a leader in the pathways approach, was the first in Illinois to award the College and Career Pathway Endorsements to Class of 2020 graduates who successfully completed the Education and Manufacturing and Engineering pathways.

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Two young people working on a project together in a maker's space
Project

Model Programs of Study Guides

The Model Programs of Study Guides were developed in consultation and collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education through a process led and facilitated by Education Systems Center.

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CTE teacher showing students manufacturing equipment
Project

Illinois Advanced Apprenticeship Consortium

EdSystems’ role with the Illinois Advanced Apprenticeship Consortium is implementing a Manufacturing Pathway aligned to the College and Career Pathway Endorsement system for students that meets the expectations and requirements of the PWR Act.

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CTE students learning electrical wiring
News

Guidance and Resources for Providing High-Quality Work-Based Learning

Through collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Education Systems Center has released a Career Development Experience Toolkit aligned to the frameworks established in the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act and embedded within Illinois’ broader strategies around scaling high-quality career pathways and work-based learning.

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smiling college students
Project

College and Career Pathway Endorsements

Education Systems Center worked with public and private stakeholders to define key competencies for the College and Career Pathway Endorsements and is now working with community networks to support implementation of endorsement systems in line with the PWR Act.

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Students working on laptops at Liberia Career Pathways
Project

Liberia Career Pathways

EdSystems worked with Liberian partners to launch the Liberian nongovernmental organization and the U.S. based nonprofit organization.

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Resource

Career Development Experience Toolkit

Released in 2019, the Career Development Experience Toolkit adheres to the framework of the PWR Act for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. These materials serve any organization that seeks to provide rigorous work-based learning opportunities to youth.

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Project

Career Pathways Dictionary

To help transform outcomes for youth and adults across Illinois, the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary defines key terms for career pathway programs and system elements, while also offering resources and implementation guidance to support statewide alignment.

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Project

Career Pathways in Tanzania

Since 2017, EdSystems has partnered with Tanzania Development Support and 4-H Tanzania to implement a career awareness and exploration program designed to help students deepen their awareness of and build competencies and skills in fields that are in high demand in Tanzania.

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Employer Summit with ISTC and EdSystems
News

Summit Engages Employers on Building Effective Learning Partnerships

On May 11, 2017, the Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI) and Education Systems Center at NIU hosted an employer summit to bring employers together to talk about building effective learning partnerships between employers and schools through problem-based learning, titled Employer Summit: Building Effective Learning Partnerships.

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