Looking ahead with the CTE Leadership Collaborative
December 08, 2020
Postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs in high-demand fields like manufacturing, information technology and healthcare exist, but the quality and outcomes of these programs vary. The CTE field also has limited research and awareness of best practices and leadership and professional development opportunities. ECMC Foundation’s launch of the CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC) in 2018 under the Career Readiness focus area responds to these challenges, aiming to bring together diverse perspectives and equipping CTE leaders with the tools, resources, and skills needed to advance postsecondary CTE. LC grantees provide professional development opportunities for leaders—known as ECMC Foundation Fellows—from a range of disciplines and unite a variety of approaches under similar branding and a common set of field-building activities that foster collaboration.
Fifth fellowship program launches
As part of the LC, ECMC Foundation called on organizations and institutions that were interested in developing and managing a program to support business and industry professionals seeking to more effectively align their work with postsecondary CTE institutions.
Jobs For the Future (JFF), a Boston-based national nonprofit that builds education and economic opportunities for underserved populations in the United States, was selected as the fifth partner in the LC to launch the CTE Industry Fellowship Program, focusing on business and industry.
JFF was granted $1.5 million to facilitate learning opportunities and provide robust support to two cohorts of 15-20 JFF-ECMCF Fellows from across the United States. Cohort members will have an opportunity to observe strong CTE-employer partnerships in action, gain support from experienced CTE faculty and industry executives, and apply what they have learned. JFF’s program launched in September 2020 and will
JFF’s efforts to accelerate the transformation of the American workforce and education systems to ensure access to economic advancement for all is aligned with ECMC Foundation’s commitment to improve postsecondary outcomes for students from undeserved backgrounds.
Welcoming our 100th Fellow
Building on the success of its K-12 program, The Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University, which transforms education through the power of quality research and evidence, created the Strategic Data Project (SDP) to recruit, place, and train analysts within K-12 school systems to improve their capacity to use data for improvement.
SDP’s launch of the Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education will engage 40 Fellows across two cohorts through professional development opportunities, bringing the total number of ECMC Foundation Fellows across all five programs to 100 Fellows, who are well-positioned to advance postsecondary CTE as a viable pathway.
SDP’s goal is to improve Fellows’ use of data to support students in the successful completion of CTE programs and generate insights about the workforce outcomes of their various CTE programs.
Building connections across the CTE landscape
In addition to the individual fellowship programs that provide professional development opportunities to the Fellows through mentorship, convenings, and Fellow-led projects, the LC convenes Fellows across programs on an annual basis at the CTE Leadership Collaborative Convening. In December 2020, ECMC Foundation will host its second annual two-day convening for current and alumni Fellows who are researchers, practitioners, journalists, and data professionals.
Transcending discipline and geography, the event will engage Fellows in conversations about COVID’s impact on CTE, the role of CTE in closing equity gaps, and making CTE actionable. Fellows will also hear inspiring remarks from guest speakers .
Through events like the CTE Leadership Collaborative Convening, ECMC Foundation aims to encourage not just a temporary dialogue, but inspire long-lasting relationships and thought partnership that can lead to shifts in the postsecondary CTE landscape.
Building connections across the CTE landscape
In addition to the individual fellowship programs tha