Postsecondary Pathways for Youth

Young adults today are less likely to out-earn their parents than any previous generation, even when they do everything “right.” Basic necessities like housing, healthcare, childcare, and education that were affordable to previous generations are far more expensive today, making the transition into adulthood harder to navigate. To succeed in the future, young adults will need structured opportunities to gain professional experience, build networks, and access high-quality education and training to land good first jobs that lead to careers.

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CELNA’s Postsecondary Pathways for Youth team works to promote stronger alignment across the systems that shape young adults’ economic success so paths from high school to economic security become more accessible, affordable, and equitable. We do this through three reinforcing strategies:

• Advancing innovative program models, including apprenticeship models and other pathways strategies;
• Conducting research and analysis on programs and policies that affect the institutions and systems that young adults must navigate as they exit high school and transition to adulthood; and
• Building networks of experts & practitioners to accelerate learning and to promote alignment across initiatives and communities focused on youth and young adults.

The two major initiatives of Postsecondary Pathways for Youth are the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship and the Launch Pathways initiative.