从数据到机遇：成功之路项目的成果

Joyce Z. Schnieders, Cristina Anguiano-Carrasco, and Cindy Hill Executive Summary The Pathways to Success program pilot—funded by ECMC Foundation and implementedthrough the ACT®Work Ready Communities®(WRC) initiative—met or exceeded all ourtargeted success measures at the two participating sites: College of Southern Nevada (CSN) For this pilot, we collected data from both sites about the participants’ enrollment, persistence,credential attainment, continued education, and ACT®WorkKeys®National Career Readiness •6,060 students from underserved and other high-prioritypopulations enrolled asparticipants of the Pathwaysto Success program pilot at the two sites.•95% of these participants persisted in the program (i.e., continued the program for thesubsequent one or more quarters or completed it within one quarter), a 126% increasefrom their persistence rates before the pilot.•34% of the participants who retested improved their WorkKeys NCRC level, exceedingthe 25% target. These findings demonstrate that the WRC initiative provides a scalable community-basedworkforce developmentframework that advances both academic progress and careerreadiness. The Pathways to Success pilot further illustrates how programs can meet federal Introduction To help close the skills gap and equip people for success in the evolving world of work, ACTWork Ready Communities bring together disparate individuals and organizations. The WRCinitiative incorporates data-driven strategies that connect a community’s education and links workforce development to education; aligns with the economic development needs ofcommunities, regions, and states; and matches individuals to jobs based on their skill levels.Since the launch of the WRC framework in 2012, over 590 communities across the UnitedStates have adopted it to align their local workforce, education, and economic development Recognizing the strengths of this program, ECMC Foundation awarded ACT a grant onDecember 1, 2023, to pilot the Pathways to Success program through WRC. Using its existinginfrastructure, the 2-year WRC initiative partnered with CSN and MCC to implement strategiesthat each community devised to expand talent development for its historically underserved andother high-priority populations. The program also served as a learning laboratory to explore During the research design phase, we established the following five indicators to measure the •Enroll over 2,000 students from underserved and other high-prioritypopulations acrossthe participating communities as participants of the Pathway to Success program.•Improve WorkKeys NCRC levels of at least 25% of the participants by one level or morebetween the first and the second WorkKeys assessment administration. We selected these measures to evaluate the participants’ access to the program, skilldevelopment, persistence, and momentum after earning their credentials at key points on their To measure these indicators, we collected longitudinal data from CSN and MCC for fiveconsecutive quarters, starting July 1, 2024, and concluding at the end of September 2025. CSNand MCC provided the data that included the participants’ demographic information, enrollment This issue brief summarizes our findings for each of these five measures of success anddemonstrates how the pilot Pathways to Success program helped both the participants and the Findings The following findings summarize the outcomes from five consecutive quarters of data collectedat the two pilot sites. Results are organized according to the program’s five establishedmeasures of success: enrollment of historically underserved students, improved WorkKeys Enrollment of Underserved Students The first measure of success emphasized enrolling historically underserved students inprograms at the two participating colleges as part of the Pathways to Success pilot. The goal forthe pilot program was to enroll 2,000 students from the two communities, but 6,060 students Both sites use a tiered approach to meet students where they are and to offer them suitablepathways to reach educational and career success. For example, MCC provides three levels oftraining to meet its students’ needs: entry level (Tier I), intermediate (Tier II), and advanced (TierIII). Students in Tier I often lack foundational skills. Most are enrolled in an English as a secondlanguage (ESL) or a graduate equivalency degree/high school equivalency (GED/HSE,hereafter abbreviated as HSE) program. These students are building the foundational academicand language skills necessary to successfully transition into postsecondary training, credential- Improvement of WorkKeys Scores and NCRC Levels The second measure of success focused on improving WorkKeys scores between the first andsecond assessment administration and thereby increasing the level of the NCRC attained. The many industries and occupations. The assessments provide both level scores and scale scores.If a student completes the three assessments—AC