Counseling to Careers

Helping Students Select Best Bets

Counseling to Careers provides districts, community-based organizations, schools, and community colleges with the tools to better connect students with programs of study that align with their interests and regional employment needs. This program offers a sustainable solution to the following challenges in today's education-workforce pipeline:

• Fewer than half of all students who enter community college earn a degree or certificate within six years.
• Those students who do graduate too often leave in debt and struggle to find decent-paying jobs.
• Research shows that the sooner students choose an academic or vocational program of study, the more likely they are to graduate.

Counseling to Careers provides the critical link to help students choose the right postsecondary programs.

What is Counseling to Careers?

CTC is a four-month engagement that guides the use of labor market information to identify high-demand career pathways and associated postsecondary programs—or “best bets.” It features a training with customized, ready-to-use tools and resources for supporting teams of senior staff and counselors through a process to identify and package information about best bets for use by students.

What does Counseling to Careers do for community colleges?

By making information about college and careers transparent and accessible, CTC:

• Streamlines the counseling process;
• Empowers students to become informed consumers;
• Strengthens relationships between colleges and their community partners; and
• Informs planning and revision of college pathways.

Together, this will help improve college graduation rates.

Who benefits?

• Students who are more likely to earn college credentials that lead to high-quality employment;
• Community colleges that improve their completion rates and strengthen community partnerships; and
• Schools, workforce agencies, and other community partners that can access clearer pathways to careers with high-growth employment