Growth of Career Pathways

Focused on strengthening the workforce and economy in recent years, the seeds for career pathways were planted decades ago. Since the United States increased its investment in higher education in the mid-1960s, college enrollment has accelerated, from about 8.5 million in 1970 to nearly 20 million in 2017.¹ Community colleges do the lion’s share of educating historically underserved students by offering a wide array of programs and services. Fulfilling this comprehensive mission, community colleges prepare students for sustaining-wage employment, as well as transfer and baccalaureate attainment.

Public policies supporting the creation of logically structured pathways through community colleges are endorsed by at least 12 federal agencies whose leadership signed off on a common definition that emphasizes skills development and career advancement in high-demand industry sectors. Career pathways are authorized in both the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL), and the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for 21st Century Act, overseen by the U.S. Department of Education.² These federal policies support state and local efforts to build career pathways that facilitate employment and progress in careers.

President Obama called for higher education to address the economic hardship that Americans faced during the Great Recession. His administration’s goal to increase college completion emphasized the importance of integrating postsecondary education with workforce development to get America back to work. Community colleges were tapped as the higher education institutions to carry out this charge, and career pathways were the preferred means of accomplishing it.