Building Equitable Pathways

In the season 2 finale of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and guests look back at the learning arc of the Building Equitable Pathways initiative to date, consider the evolution of intermediary positioning across the nation, and take stock of the work ahead to centering equity in education to career pathways at scale. This episode features Isa Ellis, Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Amy Loyd, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career Technical and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education.  

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US Pathways Education Program 
• Equitable Futures, Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  
• Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) 
• US Department of Education Initiative: Unlocking Career Success

In this episode of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and guests reflect on how their practices in the education to career pathways space, individually and organizationally, have evolved over time in response to durable inequities in educational and career outcomes for youth. They share what they’ve learned along the way, what keeps them accountable to their learning, and their commitment to continued growth. This episode features Jennie Niles, president & CEO of CityWorks DC and Marie Mackintosh, president & CEO of EmployIndy.

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• CityWorks DC
• CityWorks DC Systems Change
• EmployIndy
• Accelerate Ed “Blueprint for Cybersecurity” Pilot

In this episode of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and guests explore the champions we need in pathways systems—who they are, how we find them, and what it means to champion something or someone in pathways work. This episode features Maud Daudon, executive leader at Career Connect Washington, and Sarah Bell, chief of industry exposure and experience at Youthforce NOLA, who discuss the importance of tapping into the passions—and elevating the voices of youth, community members, policymakers, and industry leaders to support change at scale. 

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• Career Connect Washington
• Virtual tour of Career Connect Northeast Programs – January 6, 2023
• YouthForce NOLA
• Employer Engagement Opportunities 
• Annual Report 

In this episode of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and guests confront the challenge of trying something new—and the vulnerability needed to do explorative work in inequitable education and workforce systems. This episode features Obinna Onyeali, Director of K-12 Partnerships at CareerWise Colorado; Mark Tapy, Senior Talent Management Manager at Pinnacol Assurance; and Emily Takimoto, Manager of Launch Internships and Youth Apprenticeships at Denver Public Schools. Zooming in on their collaboration scaling modern youth apprenticeship in Denver, Colorado, together these leaders offer a multisector perspective of their journey introducing and championing a model that was outside the norms of their local ecosystem.  

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• CareerWise Colorado
• What is a Youth Apprenticeship?
• How do Youth Apprenticeships Work? 
• Equity First Employers
• Pinnacol Assurance
• Pinnacol Assurance Apprenticeship Program
• Six ways apprentices can strengthen your workplace
• Denver Public Schools Youth Apprenticeship Program

In this episode of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and guests explore the purpose of their work and the role of employers in addressing systemic inequity. They examine the positionality of employers in pathways systems, highlight possibilities for deeper engagement, and share examples of how building trust and learning together changes outcomes for young people and communities. This episode features Stephanie Peete, director of workforce development at Say Yes Buffalo, and Rukiya Curvey Johnson, executive director of the Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) and vice president of community health equity at Rush University Medical Center.  

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode:  

• Say Yes Buffalo  
• Careerwise Greater Buffalo 
• Scholar Mentoring Program 
• The Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH)  
• Rush in the Community  
• Interactive Career Pathways Tool  
• Perspectives on Building Racial Equity in STEM, Health Science and Workforce Systems  
• MedSTEM – Youth Internship Program 

To kick of Season 2 of the Building Equitable Pathways podcast, host Kyle Hartung and his guests unpack how racism is baked into our current education and workforce systems and discuss tangible examples of what it looks like to push for change. They explore ways of strengthening racial equity practices through meaningful co-creation, challenging power dynamics, and building community. This episode features Joshua Johnson, director of Jobs for the Future’s National Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship and Natasha Harrison, Founder, President and CEO of Community Build Ventures.  

Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• JFF's Program Design Framework for DEIA in Registered Apprenticeships 
• Brave Space Building 
• Key Skills to Move Towards Racial Equity 
• Noticing 
• Strengthening Curiosity 
• Practicing Accountability 
• Holding Space

Advancing a vision and practice for racial equity in education to career pathways systems demands new types of collaboration, agility, and intentionality. In season 2, host Kyle Hartung from JFF and his guests explore the necessary conditions for transformative change and the stories of those working to realize them. Together, they will interrogate the role of intermediary organizations in advancing equitable outcomes, identify opportunities to change the rules of engagement in our current systems, and sketch out a roadmap for establishing and upholding the conditions for change. We hope you will join us in this work of Building Equitable Pathways. Tune in this April.

In the final episode of Building Equitable Pathways, Season One, host Kyle Hartung sits down with Amanda MacTaggart, the Director of Strategic National Partnerships, Network Engagement and Innovation for the Student Success Center at CSCU, Elizabeth Lindsey, CEO of Urban Alliance, and Dr. Kenyatta Lovett, the Managing Director of Higher Education, Educate Texas. They reflect on what experiences called them to this work, the commitments they hold about what needs to change, and how together we can collaborate differently to advance a vision for and of equity. Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode: 

• CSCU Student Success Center
• Educate Texas
• Npower 
• Urban Alliance

In this episode, host Kyle Hartung is joined by two policy experts and members of the JFF community of practice to discuss how equitable and data-informed practices become codified in our system’s policies to drive economic advancement, close equity gaps, integrate systems, and catalyze innovation. He sits down with Erica Cuevas, Associate Director at Jobs for the Future, and Luke Rhine, Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) at the Delaware Department of Education, to hear about the work of developing equitable policies that are practical, aspirational, and imperative in this moment.  Learn more about the resources referenced in this episode:

• Three Ways Intermediaries Can Keep Equity at the Center of Their Policy Work by Erica Cuevas
• Intermediaries’ Role in Policy to Develop and Scale Equitable Pathways from JFF
• Today’s Students Coalition
• Delaware Pathways
• Delaware Department of Education’s Higher Education Office Student Ambassador Program
• Delaware Policies
  • SEED+ 
  • Inspire
  • Elevate

In this episode, host Kyle Hartung sits down with guests Angela Freeman, Impact Analyst at the Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH), and Jenee Myers Twitchell, Chief Impact Officer at Washington STEM in partnership with Career Connect Washington, who are both focusing on innovations in data work and practice in Building Equitable Pathways. They discuss key metrics they focus on in their work, how they engage partners in the process of measuring, sharing, and acting on data, and how qualitative data in particular sheds light not only on what is happening in our pathways programs, but how they can be improved so that youth have a clearer path to educational and economic advancement.