AN understanding of the career pathway model requires some familiarity with its origins, as well as the ways in which policy, research and practices have shaped the model. The ideas and strategies underlying the career pathway model reflect major advances in the secondary and post-secondary education, work force, and human services arena.
Post-secondary education is increasingly a prerequisite for entering any professional field. However, escalating costs coupled with rising uncertainty about college value are creating mounting pressure to increase transparency and improve outcomes within and across the post-secondary and workforce sectors. This pressure is stimulating innovation in public policy development because all the parties involved seek answers to basic questions about the value of post-secondary education, how to access and provide it, and what it means for individual and collective success.
