Communities nationwide are working to close skills gaps, strengthen talent pipelines, and create clearer connections between education and high-demand careers. Too often, those systems operate in silos — and learners, especially those historically underserved in education and employment, struggle to navigate complex pathways.
The Pathways to Success Toolkit was designed to address these challenges by helping communities align education, workforce, and industry partners around learner-centered pathways that lead to valuable credentials, high-wage jobs, and economic mobility.
Pathways to Success comes at a pivotal moment, aligning with the federal expansion of Workforce Pell Grants — which will make short-term, high-quality workforce training programs eligible for federal Pell Grant funding starting in July. Communities can use the toolkit's five key strategies and real-world success stories to design programs that qualify for this new funding stream and make career pathways more affordable for learners.
📽️
Hear from practitioners who helped develop Pathways to Success.
The Pathways to Success Toolkit provides step-by-step guidance, tools, and examples that support shared goal setting, coordinated service delivery, stackable credentials, and stronger engagement with employers and community partners. Whether you're organizing partnerships, aligning goals and metrics, or designing programs that address education and workforce barriers — this toolkit gives you everything you need to increase long-term learner success.
Pathways to Success is a proven, community-driven approach that connects education, workforce, and support services into a seamless system. Its purpose is simple yet powerful:
Read some real-world examples from communities that have successfully built and scaled career pathways programs, including models from Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, Nebraska) and the College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, Nevada).
Have questions or want to learn more? Visit act.org or contact our team. We're here to support you every step of the way.
Pathways to Success is a collaborative effort supported by ECMC Foundation, IntermediaryEd, ACT Education Corp., Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, Nebraska), and the College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, Nevada).
