Career Readiness

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College & Workforce Readiness Whitepaper Your CTE Pathways Are Strong. These AP Courses Can Make Them Stronger.
See how the skills taught in AP Career Kickstart courses connect students to in-demand jobs in high-growth fields projected to add 2M+ op...
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College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on What Works: How District Leaders Are Redefining Student Readiness
See how districts are balancing college prep, career pathways, AI, and academic rigor to prepare students for success.
July 31, 2026
Benjimon Kelly, center, a 19-year-old industrial maintenance student at Texas State Technical College, speaks with WSP recruiters Jeff Caraway, right, senior VP project management, and Charles Schoubroek, left, department manager Texas region, during a spring job fair at the campus in Red Oak on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Teens share how they feel about AI impacting the job market, a new survey shows.
Benjimon Kelly, center, a 19-year-old industrial maintenance student at Texas State Technical College, speaks with recruiters during a spring job fair at the campus in Red Oak on March 24, 2026. High school and college students are increasingly concerned about the impact AI will likely have on their future job opportunities.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness How Well Are Schools Preparing Students for an AI-Driven World? Teens Weigh In
Most teens say they learn best when they can apply what they're learning to real-world situations.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 31, 2026
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2 min read
LE - A person walks outside of the Gates Foundation campus on April 30, 2025, in Seattle.
A person walks outside of the Gates Foundation campus in Seattle on April 30, 2025. The foundation announced future investments in efforts to help students secure the education and credentials needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving workforce.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Gates Foundation Puts Heavier Emphasis on Career Readiness. Math Is Still a Priority
The foundation has set a broad goal to help students prepare for a rapidly evolving workforce.
Alyson Klein, July 29, 2026
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7 min read
A student climbs the block steps placed before them. The lettered blocks spell out "FUTURE." Career Technical Education.
Daniel Diosdado for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Is Career and Technical Education Stuck in the Past?
Often, CTE programs can look good on paper without serving the students who could use them most.
Cami Anderson, July 23, 2026
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion There's a Lot of Talk About 'Career Readiness.' Have We Thought It Through?
Just because you promote opportunities for career pathways doesn’t mean students are learning.
Rick Hess, July 21, 2026
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5 min read
Diana Barrios gave a session on how artificial intelligence plays a role in career exploration and hHundreds attend ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on June 29, 2026.
Diana Barrios, a career exploration coordinator for the Houston school district, discusses career exploration at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD annual conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 29, 2026. Barrios argued that schools need to do more than match students' interests with potential careers. Career exploration is a social act, she said.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What’s Missing in Career Education? A Case for ‘Career Identity’
The "aha!" moment for students doesn't come just from career interest inventories, one teacher says.
Lauraine Langreo, July 1, 2026
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3 min read
20260226 AMX US NEWS FROM PROMISE PAYCHECK HOW DALLAS 4 DA
School counselors Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis catch up and talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. As interest in career education rises and schools expand their career and technical education offerings, a new report argues schools lack the staff needed to help students with career counseling that points students toward realistic careers.
Liz Rymarev via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Schools Are Expanding Career Ed. Are They Guiding Students to the Right Careers?
Counselor shortages are a barrier keeping schools from implementing relevant and effective career prep.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 18, 2026
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5 min read
Tue., June 16, 2026, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar Data-Driven and District-Ready: What EdWeek Research Tells Us About the CTE Market
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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 Webinar From Coursework to Careers: Expanding Work-Based Learning and Industry Credentials in CTE
Expand work-based learning and industry credentials in CTE to connect classroom learning with real careers and prepare students for future success.
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20260507 ReverseCareerFair EdWeek R5B 5725
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Video How a "Reverse Career Fair" Can Launch High Schoolers Into the Real World
It flips the traditional model and allows students to set up booths to display their talents to employers.
June 9, 2026
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1 min read
Adult school student volunteer Starnese Sims, second from right in glasses, sings along with preschool children at Bradley Early Education Center, located on the campus of Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center, in Watts on May 5, 2026 . Adult school student volunteers visit Bradley EEC twice a week for field work as part of a career pathway that will earn them their child development assistant permit. The setup provides the preschool with extra staffing support and allows for collaboration between preschool teachers and adult school staff as students move through the program. The LAUSD early education center is home to the district's first experiment with non-traditional care hours through its expansion this year into evening child care.
A student volunteer sings along with preschool children at Bradley Early Education Center in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 5, 2026. Older students visit the center regularly as part of a career pathway that will earn them their child development assistant permit. A coalition of education groups wants greater federal investment in research aimed at strengthening career-connected education that students are increasingly demanding.
Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Students Want Career Education. More Research Can Improve It, New Report Says
Career education is in demand from students and could be strengthened through research, a coalition says.
Mark Walsh, June 9, 2026
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4 min read
Boone Williams, 20, center, talks to other students in the apprentice training program class at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 572 facility in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Williams says eventually he expects to earn far more than friends who took quick jobs after high school. He even thinks he’s better off than some who went to college — he knows too many who dropped out or took on debt for degrees they never used. “In the long run, I’m going to be way more set than any of them,” he says.
Boone Williams, 20, center, talks with students in an apprentice training class at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 572 facility in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 2, 2023. Programs like this reflect growing interest in career pathways as more students weigh alternatives to traditional four-year college degrees.
Mark Zaleski/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Not All Students Are College-Bound. More Schools Are Paying Attention
The "college for all" rallying cry is quieting down, even at traditional college-prep high schools.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 29, 2026
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5 min read
Boston Latin Academy student Lila Conley, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during the Bridge to Calculus summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
A student, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during a summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Aug. 1, 2023. A new report by two Stanford University researchers points to a range of trends in U.S. education that complicate the narrative of an education system in decline.
Reba Saldanha/AP
Student Achievement Are U.S. Schools in Decline? Two Researchers Question That Narrative
They looked at a range of indicators that complicate the narrative of an education system in decline.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 29, 2026
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4 min read