top of page

about

The Coalition for Career Development Center (CCD) Center is an industry-led nonpartisan coalition committed to making career readiness the first priority of American education and dedicated to transforming career development through priorities including education reform, research initiatives, stakeholder engagement, and more. The CCD Center believes in providing ALL learners with high-quality career development services and technologies that will help secure productive employment in their chosen careers as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. 

​

The CCD Center works collaboratively with leaders from education, business, government, and non-profit organizations to create a national movement dedicated to helping all learners become career and future ready.

OUR GOALS

1

GOAL 1: INFORM

We generate, gather, and disseminate evidence-based career readiness policy and practice to mobilize community-level future readiness and talent development efforts.

​

Produce compelling research,
case studies

  1. Annual Report on the Condition of Career Readiness in the United States

  2. Case study reports on incorporating career advising and individualized career plans into cross-sector strategies

  3. Designed to create seamless pathways from K-12 into higher education and employment

  4. Develop a dissemination plan for sharing 2023 CCR report, case studies and other evidence-based materials

  5. Design an open-access resource hub/support portal/”Supportal” of career readiness resources and materials

  6. Partner with key organizations & associations to promote external career readiness resources

2

GOAL 2: CONNECT

We build partnerships, lead networks, support communities of practice, and host events to advance evidence-based career readiness policy and practice.

​

Sponsor networks, panels
and engagements

  1. Establish deep mission-aligned partnerships with key stakeholders to be identified

  2. Develop tactical engagement plan to engage with different communities and stakeholders

  3. Expand State Leaders of Career Readiness Network

  4. Launch Community College Leaders of Career Readiness Network

  5. Identify other Career Readiness Networks to support or launch

3

GOAL 3: EMPOWER

We position leaders for success in developing career readiness
campaigns, strategic plans, initiatives and partnerships.

​

Build capacity with toolkits
and technical assistance

  1. Develop plan for the CCD's development of a set of capacity-building toolkits to support career readiness for our stakeholders, including leaders in industry, education, government, policy and community.

  2. Develop a plan for engaging urban and rural communities and organizations focused on individuals who are historically underrepresented in key industry sectors. The plan will include a directory of specialized experts.

  3. Market our products and services.

  4. Cultivate a client base.

The Five Pillars
for Creating
High-Quality Career Development Systems:

Artboard 2_4x.png

Efforts to increase career readiness are critical to improving post-secondary readiness—therefore career development activities should begin no later than middle school, and require all students to develop and maintain a personal Career and Academic Plan that aligns career and life goals to academic, postsecondary, and career pathways.

Artboard 5_4x.png

To ensure that career development becomes a central priority, schools and post-secondary institutions need to appoint trained professionals to oversee this work. Providing access to high-quality career development will require more credentialed career advisers and licensed counselors in every school and post-secondary institution. These advisers must have specific career– development knowledge and competencies. To help meet this need, the Coalition has worked with the National Career Development Association to create a new staff position, School Career Development Advisors (SCDAs), who would be expected to involve the whole school, families, employers and the broader community in this effort. SCDAs would play both a direct service role in working with students, and a coordinating role, helping integrate career development activities throughout the school experience, and working with employers to increase opportunities for work-based learning.

Artboard 1_4x.png

Applied and work-based learning should be an integral part of education in high school and beyond. Business, government, and educators must collaborate to scale up a continuum of options, such as job shadows, internships, apprenticeships, etc. States, school systems, and post-secondary institutions should set bold goals for increasing these opportunities. Educational programs should also encourage students to earn high-quality, industry-recognized certifications where available.

Artboard 4_4x.png

High-quality career development technologies should play a key role in helping students develop their personal career and education plans. All students, teachers and career development advisers should be provided access to a defined baseline level of technology that will ensure they can make good use of these tools.

Artboard 3_4x.png

While most states have adopted measures of accountability that recognize the importance of career readiness, they now need to concentrate on rigorous implementation to ensure all students have access to quality career pathway programs and student supports to ensure success. States should base funding of post-secondary institutions on outcome measures, like job placement and graduation, rather than input measures such as enrollment. 

bottom of page