How California Strengthened the Path from Classroom to Career

In 2023, workforce development and economic mobility in California were hampered by limited access to equitable, high-quality education and workforce opportunities, which were the result of disconnected systems, scattered support, and confusing career pathways. The challenges made it difficult for learners to acquire the skills they needed to obtain rewarding, family-supporting jobs and careers.

That August, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched “Freedom to Succeed,” an initiative to create a new “Master Plan for Career Education” for the state that could align education with high-demand industries, close workforce training gaps, and expand access to career education. Designing and implementing the plan required unprecedented coordination between leaders in all entities with a stake in improving career education, including K-12 school systems, higher education, labor, and business.

Our Approach

BCG collaborated with the Governor’s Office and Council for Career Education to lay the groundwork for the Master Plan by leading a series of cross-sector working groups, which included a cross-section of representatives from the aforementioned career education stakeholders. Each group tackled a critical area identified as having long-standing gaps and tested new approaches to address them:

• Dual Enrollment. Remove roadblocks and knowledge gaps that impede high school students’ ability to take dual enrollment courses and receive college credit.
• Career Pathways. Expand Credit for Prior Learning so students can obtain college credit for previous experiences and reduce the time it takes to earn a degree.
• Improved Navigation of Career Resources. Help students work through the transition from education to the workforce and understand the opportunities available to them.
• Support for Completing Education Milestones. Increase students’ use of supports and services, such as the CalFresh food assistance program, by expanding partnerships between campuses and counties.

BCG’s team of education and workforce transformation experts helped the working groups establish a baseline understanding of the current status of each critical area, identify specific challenges, and brainstorm opportunities for change. The work culminated in the development of pilot projects to test changes and improvements.

The Results

The process strengthened cross-sector collaboration, allowing working group members from different agencies and backgrounds to work together on shared challenges and develop an aligned vision around career education. Each working group successfully launched a demonstration project in which they:

• initiated a joint resource for K-12 school districts and community colleges in Central California to increase participation in and awareness of dual enrollment programs, particularly among underserved students;
• created 35 faculty-backed recommendations for awarding Credit for Prior Learning at Southern California community colleges and California State University campuses; and
• launched campus-community partnerships between two Northern California college systems and a county social services agency to support more students having access to CalFresh nutrition benefits.

By fostering collaboration and aligning education goals with future workforce needs, these pilot projects set the stage for a new era of career education and improve outcomes for learners and workers.