December 17, 2024

Among the many projects and initiatives Strada supported and participated in this year, the 2024 release of inaugural State Opportunity Index stands out. Developed to give states a quantifiable set of indicators that measure how well they are connecting education and opportunity, the State Opportunity Index offers states a research-driven framework to improve both education and employment systems. 

Here are a few other projects that made us excited about working with our partners to clear the path between education and opportunity:

• Strada Institute for the Future of Work and The Burning Glass Institute joined forces to release Talent Disrupted, an in-depth analysis of a phenomenon called “underemployment.” The research from this analysis shows 52 percent of college graduates are underemployed a year after graduation. 
  
  
• Strada’s Building Better Internships report offers an in-depth look at the student internship experience. It turns out that a majority of students seek internships, but many are unable to secure one.
  
  
• The Quality Coaching report defines quality education-to-career coaching and measures how many recent grads actually received it (sadly, only 20 percent).
  
  
• Strada’s first-ever public policy agenda lays out an ambitious agenda to help states meet their workforce needs, and colleges better prepare students to meet those needs.

EXCITEMENT FOR APPRENTICESHIPS

Apprenticeships are “a rare bipartisan issue and one of the only through lines of the first Trump and Biden administrations,” Paul Fain notes in Work Shift. Among the many policy developments surrounding apprenticeships at the moment: They are increasingly moving beyond traditional fields, such as construction, and expanding into health care, manufacturing, and education. Pairing degrees with apprenticeships is also gaining interest. Read more.

CAREER READINESS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

A new analysis from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities highlights how innovative career services strategies are helping institutions promote career readiness and bridge the gap between academic preparation and workforce readiness. These innovations include personalized career guidance, the use of technology, career-aligned student success efforts, hands-on experiential learning, and strengthened partnerships with employers.​​ Read more.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE-WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIPS

Historically, community colleges and workforce boards that receive billions of dollars in federal funding “are not as integrated or synergistic as they could be,” Shalin Jyotishi and Morgan Polk write for New America. But some federal investments have proven successful at creating and expanding partnerships between local workforce boards and community colleges. The blog points out some of the best examples. Read More.

WEBINAR: Strada Vice President of Quality Coaching Melissa Leavitt joined a Heart+Mind Strategies discussion about the latest research on coaching.

APPRENTICESHIPS: The new National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree is redefining what apprenticeship and job-embedded learning means.

PARTNERSHIP: We are proud to support a North Carolina community college that paired with a regional hospital to combat a health care workforce shortage.