How do we ensure every young person — no matter their background — has a clear path from the classroom to a meaningful career?
That’s one of the most important questions in education today. The answer lies in high-quality pathways: the education experiences that prepare and connect young people to good jobs. These experiences help high school students discover their passions, learn about developing fields, and start and complete postsecondary education that launches them into a well-paying career.
Too often, students encounter fragmented systems — education, training and workforce programs that don’t always connect to regional employer needs. That leaves many young people without the skills, credentials or networks they need to thrive today’s rapidly changing economy. 
A recent projection estimates that by 2031, 72% of all jobs nationally will require a postsecondary education. And more than half of Gen Z does not believe that school teaches them skills relevant to jobs they want, according to a national research survey.
I have the privilege of leading a new initiative designed to change that reality. On stage at the 2025 Cradle to Career Network Convening, we shared that StriveTogether is launching the Pathways Impact Fund, in partnership with the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation. Their powerful investment in our field will expand access to high-quality pathways so young people can transition seamlessly from education to employment.
No single funder or community can do this work alone — but together, we can build a stronger, more connected system to increase opportunity.
During the convening, I joined Melissa Connelly, CEO of OneGoal, and Paul Herdman, president and CEO of Rodel, in a panel moderated by Bill Tucker, deputy director of the Education Pathways Program at the Gates Foundation. Together, we explored what it will take to bring this vision to life. Here are my three key takeaways.
Center the student experience.
Earlier in my career, I served as a school counselor. The experience of working directly with students is the foundation of my approach. Their perspectives, needs and dreams must drive all we do.
As much as we talk about earnings and alignment, what still rings true is that students want an education that’s connected to their goals and their identities. Even more so today, students are seeking a sense of purpose, and they want to find meaning in their jobs. How do we help them make the connection between their education and their future? It’s not just about the material being shared in the classroom — a sense of connection and strong relationships are also key to student success. 
“This is not just about preparing people to their next job,” Paul Herdman shared on our panel. “It’s about connecting them to their world and working with them as humans.”
Having a pathway to their dreams makes so much possible for young people, as Melissa Connelly described: “When kids can see something in their future, have some sense of purpose that is anchoring them — guess what? They come to school, they listen, they’re curious, they’re interested, they’re focused.”
When we create high-quality pathways, we get young people excited about their potential and reignite the meaning of learning.
Define clear roles in your community.
Success requires collective ownership. Preparing students for life after high school can’t rest solely on counselors. It must be embedded in advising that’s connected to students’ goals, work-based learning opportunities, and accelerated coursework that gives students experiences and credits that lead to meaningful jobs.
It starts by thinking about how to implement these strategies. What does change look like? “All too often we set policy, we bring people together, we build this agenda … and we didn’t actually think about what it looks like to bring this to life in our schools,” Melissa pointed out. 
Educators and school leaders need to be at the table to share the challenges and opportunities they face in reaching young people every day. “For the longest time, success in high school meant attendance, maybe test scores and graduation. And so to say ‘Actually, success in high school is having adult-ready, workforce-ready, future-ready students,’ is a very different destination,” Melissa shared. “Everyone has to own this work.”
Too often, it’s assumed creating a plan for after graduation happens solely in the counselor’s office. It needs to happen everywhere in a school and in a community. We need to both equip educators to support students and create space for this support to be at the center of the student experience.
Outside of the school building, employers have a critical role. When we share with employers the clear return on investment for their involvement, we create buy-in. Part of creating high-quality pathways is making it easy for employers to connect with students. Industry councils can align skills with high-demand jobs, which is especially important as technology and AI reshape the workforce landscape.
Build a strong regional intermediary.
How do we bring all of these pieces together? Regional coalitions connect the dots across K-12, postsecondary and workforce. We call these organizations “intermediaries,” and they play a vital role. Strong intermediaries build the collective ownership that makes high-quality pathways possible.
As Paul Herdman shared on our panel, strong intermediaries are built to last. This is long-term work, and it needs to be sustainable through political cycles and leadership transitions. Even when community leaders, mayors or governors change roles, intermediaries keep the momentum moving forward.
Regional intermediaries also move promising work from pilots to policy. Too often, we start inspiring programs but don’t scale them or continue their impact. An intermediary can prove that a strategy works and then tap into a coalition of partners to build the strategy into a policy. These policies turn wins into lasting change.
To me, the Pathways Impact Fund is a place to dream about what’s possible. It represents a new way of working across schools, postsecondary and workforce partners. It’s time to redesign the connection between high school education and students’ futures. Through the Pathways Impact Fund, we’ll figure out what’s working and scale those successes. We’ll share what we learn to strengthen this field.
In all of our communities, there are young people who dream of being a computer scientist, or a mechanical engineer, or even the president. It’s our job to build high-quality pathways for millions more young people, so they can be anything they imagine.
For more information about the Pathways Impact Fund, visit PathwaysImpactFund.org.
