Skills Gap in US – A multi-million dollar competition for states to expand access to career-pathway programs leading to high-skill, well-paying jobs

To address the youth unemployment crisis, we are committed to increasing the number of young people who get on a pathway to economic success by being college and career ready.

To do this, first, we want to transform how states and cities develop career-focused education programs. JPMorgan Chase, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium are launching a multi-million dollar competition for states to expand access to career-pathway programs that can lead to high-skill, well-paying jobs.

Awarding grants to U.S. states will encourage them to implement career and technical education programs that correspond to the needs of area employers. High-quality, rigorous career technical programs would arm students with the skills to work as aviation mechanics, nursing technicians or IT specialists. The result is great jobs.Second, we need to eliminate the stigma attached to career and technical education. Classes dedicated to robotics, medical science and coding provide skills that employers desperately need. From Detroit to Baltimore to New Orleans, we need to make greater investments in developing new and effective models of career-focused education aligned with the needs of emerging industries like healthcare, logistics, finance and construction.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Grads of LifeVoice: Rethinking The Usual Education Paths To Address Youth Unemployment – Forbes