Strengthening Career Pathways by Connecting Rural Learners and Leaders

While many rural communities faced severe economic downturns during the Great Recession and, more recently, the COVID-19 health crisis, there are still many good jobs available in rural areas. However, many of those jobs require postsecondary education credentials or workforce training that aren't easily accessible for rural learners — especially those from low-income backgrounds.

Ascendium proactively identifies and works with mission-aligned partners who serve rural communities to develop career pathways through postsecondary education. Connecting rural learners and workers with pathways to family-sustaining jobs can be transformational for those individuals, as well as for rural communities trying to regain economic stability and growth in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis.

We awarded grants, totaling $2 million, to two new partners to support connecting rural learners to viable careers in 2022. The Council of State Governments will work with state and local governments and public sector employers in two states to implement apprenticeship programs that have the potential to create clear paths to good jobs for learners from low-income backgrounds. Another organization, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Foundation, will explore the role of chambers in facilitating the development of new training pathways for learners from low-income backgrounds that are responsive to the needs of the local economy.

As part of our grantmaking focus to support rural postsecondary education and workforce training, we believe these new partners are well positioned to develop and share innovative approaches to building career pathways in rural communities. With them, we will identify strategies for potential replication in other rural communities across the country.