Career Readiness

Mon., November 16, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Find out what is changing in how students approach planning for life after graduation and how schools can help.
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LEANDER, TEXAS - DECEMBER 18: Students in a welding class work on skills and building a cattle trailer at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores.
Students in a welding class at Glenn High School in Leander, Texas, work on building a cattle trailer on Dec. 18, 2025. Advocates say it's important to ensure career and technical education programs are accessible to students from diverse backgrounds.
Sara Diggins/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images
College & Workforce Readiness These Students Are Often Left Out of CTE Programs. Here’s How to Fix It
An expert warns that English learners are often shut out of career pathways.
Jennifer Vilcarino, November 6, 2026
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3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About the Future of Career Readiness?
Are schools preparing students for tomorrow's workforce? Test your knowledge of the trends and challenges shaping career readiness in K-12.
November 2, 2026
001Lakota Cyber Security
Jennifer Circello (right), a teacher at Lakota West High School, and Andrew Wheatley, the Lakota district's director of career pathways and strategic partnerships, talk with a group of students during a Hacking Club meeting on Oct. 12, 2026, in West Chester Township, Ohio. The district built its cybersecurity program through industry partnerships.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness 'Real Industry, Real Adults': 4 Ways to Build Career Partnerships for Students
Lessons from a school district that has forged strong ties with businesses that are battling online hackers.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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3 min read
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
Elsy Prempeh, an employee of Fifth Third Bank, looks over a computer program while mentoring students at Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio, during Jennifer Circello’s class on Oct. 13, 2026. The district's Cyber Academy leans on industry partners to provide relevant experience for students interested in careers in cybersecurity.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How One District Is Preparing Students for Careers Battling Online Hackers
This cybersecurity program offers students real-world experience and professional mentorship.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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9 min read
Cass Career Center
Assistant Director, Nicole Tews, walks a student through the administration office at the Cass Career Center in Harrisonville, Mo., on September 29, 2026. The center has a math and an English teacher who are integrated into students' industry-specific career programs.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Reading, Writing, and Math Skills Are Top Priorities in This CTE Program
How these teachers are connecting the dots between academic and technical skills.
Lauraine Langreo, October 26, 2026
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4 min read
Mon., October 26, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Cass Career Center
Layton Heaper, a senior in the welding program at the Cass Career Center in Harrisonville, Mo., works on a project on Sept. 29, 2026. Through the school's integrated academics program, students learn and apply English and math skills related to future careers.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The CTE Program Answering the Question ‘Why Do I Need Math to Be a Firefighter?’
Integrating academic learning into career and technical education comes with challenges.
Lauraine Langreo, October 22, 2026
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13 min read
Kendall Gray (left) and Gala Davis (right), both guidance counselors, catch up and talk in Davisí office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025.
Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis, both school counselors, talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. A new survey polls school counselors about student career readiness.
Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness As Students Explore Alternatives to College, Are Counselors Ready to Help Them?
A new survey finds growing interest in non-degree pathways post-graduation, but schools are struggling to keep up.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 12, 2026
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3 min read
Collage of a person wearing high heels and a graduation gown stepping up stairs that are made of bar charts.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Post-High-School Outcomes Vary Around the World. How Do U.S. Graduates Stack Up?
Globally, fewer young adults are adrift without college or careers, according to new OECD data.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 29, 2026
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2 min read
Leaders in education have a panel discussion about offering a path for students from schools into careers.
Industry leaders discuss the new Compact for America’s Youth during a launch event in Washington on Sept. 10, 2026. The compact brings organizations together to work on solutions to scale up career-connected learning.
Courtesy of CareerWise
College & Workforce Readiness How Can Schools Connect Students to Careers? A New Compact Has a Plan—and Money
The compact comes at time of rising uncertainty for young workers due to AI.
Lauraine Langreo, September 22, 2026
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5 min read
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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College & Workforce Readiness Whitepaper Why Career Exploration Should Start in Middle School
Discover practical ways to spark career exploration early, connect students’ interests to future pathways, and build skills that prepare ...
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Froylan Vasquez (foreground) and Gaby Ortiz, students at the High school of Science and Technology in Springfield, remove a tire in the automotive shop at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy. This is part of the After Dark Vocational Program at the two schools on April 9,2024.
Froylan Vasquez, foreground, and Gaby Ortiz, students at the High School of Science and Technology in Springfield, Mass., remove a tire in the automotive shop at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy. This is part of the After Dark Vocational Program at the two schools on April 9, 2024. Students who don't tend to go directly to college say they generally get less information on post-high school options.
Don Treeger / The Republican via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Is There a Counseling Gap for Non-College-Going Students?
And many high schoolers say they don't complete the work-based learning they want to experience.
Sarah Schwartz, August 31, 2026
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3 min read
A Workforce Development job fair at Pepin’s Hospitality Centre, 4121 N 50th St , on Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Tampa . Thousands of Hillsborough County Public Schools seniors meet face-to-face with employers for on-the-spot interviews, job offers, internships, and training opportunities.
People attend a workforce development job fair at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre on April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. As job seekers experience labor market volatility, a report underscores the importance of career literacy.
Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness The Job Market Is Changing. Report Makes the Case for Career Literacy
Career literacy is strongly linked to positive workforce outcomes, concludes a new report.
Lauraine Langreo, August 27, 2026
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4 min read