CSN Helped Build a National Playbook for Getting People into Good Jobs

When ACT set out to create a national resource for connecting education to careers, they called on CSN to help build it.

The result is the Pathways to Success Toolkit, released this month. It’s a practical guide for communities, colleges, employers, and policymakers trying to design career pathways that actually lead somewhere. Think stackable credentials, cross-sector collaboration, and programs built around what local economies actually need.

The pilot results tell the story: more than 6,000 additional learners enrolled in education programs, nearly 90% earned a stackable credential, and more than 1 in 3 improved their score on ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate.

The timing is no coincidence. Workforce Pell Grants are set to expand July 1, opening up federal financial aid for short-term workforce programs for the first time. The toolkit is essentially a blueprint for building programs that qualify.

Stavan Corbett, CSN’s executive director of workforce and economic development, put it plainly: “Strong pathways don’t happen by accident. They are intentionally designed through collaboration and data-driven decision-making. This toolkit empowers communities to take that work further, faster.”

CSN developed the toolkit alongside Metropolitan Community College of Nebraska, with grant support from ECMC Foundation. The resource is available now at act.org.