The purpose of this guide is to aid stakeholders in researching and assembling the appropriate knowledge base needed to design and communicate about career pathways experiences that are aligned with local labor markets. Because the volume of information available on regional labor markets and educational opportunities is overwhelming, this guide aims to assist in the following ways:

1. Define, distill, and provide resources for assembling each critical element of a pathway, including adapting for new regional labor market pathways, such as those included here.
2. Highlight how information should be communicated to young people at each stage of the adolescent developmental continuum. The linked examples were created by career pathways intermediaries that work with young people and have tested their messaging carefully. Each example highlights three or four points that are most helpful and engaging for a young person.
3. Keep equity front and center by noting for each topic how the information can be presented to both prepare youth for barriers they may face in a particular sector and to ensure that they understand the benefits of all sectors that pay well and provide satisfying work.

We also highlight a number of examples of documents developed by JFF and other intermediaries that effectively present key elements of pathways maps. They respond to common questions but also present other factors, such as living wages, career ladders, differences in types of credentials, and representation of people of color in the sector or industry.