NASDCTEc is among a remarkably broad coalition of 27 education, business, philanthropic and policy groups that have come together to create a clear, unified and focused vision for what it means to be career ready.

The Career Readiness Partner Council is aiming to enhance reform efforts around college and career readiness to include a more comprehensive understanding of what it means to be career ready. The Council’s statement, Building Blocks For Change: What it Means to be Career Ready, makes clear that career readiness is a process of connecting “education and employment to achieve a fulfilling, financially-secure and successful career.” Further, it establishes that career readiness must foster “adaptability and a commitment to lifelong learning, along with a mastery of key knowledge, skills and dispositions that vary from one career to another and change over time.”

“The notion of college and career readiness must be broadened, shifting from its primary focus on college entrance and completion to include a mastery of key knowledge, skills and dispositions that students must foster throughout the life of their careers,” said Kimberly Green, NASDCTEc Executive Director.

“The vision laid out by the Career Readiness Partner Council brings the nation closer to developing programs that truly prepare students to compete in the global economy.”

This Council’s definition will help inform policy in states and communities across the country. It offers clear guidance, and lays out next steps for groups from policymakers to educators.  The coalition consulted leading researchers and practitioners during the development, and drew heavily from the rich body of work from many of the participating organizations.

Organizations represented in the Council include the Association for Career and Technical Education, Achieve, American Association of Community Colleges, Council of Chief State School Officers, Ford, National Academy Foundation and the National Governors Association.

“We hope,” the document says, “this definition spurs conversation and action in communities across the nation. The inextricable link between education and the economy has never been more apparent, the urgency for change unparalleled.”

The full report and a complete list of the participating organizations can be found at CareerReadyNow.org