BEYOND THE BREAKOUTS
An NCPN CONNECT Blog Series
Welcome to Beyond the Breakouts: The NCPN Blog
Each year at NCPN CONNECT, powerful ideas take shape—insights are shared, conversations spark new directions, and professionals across education, workforce, and industry leave inspired.
Beyond the Breakouts continues those conversations. This blog offers a space for presenters, partners, and practitioners to go deeper, reflect on lessons learned, and explore new strategies in career pathways development.
All posts are correlated to the four components of the Framework for Career Pathways Alignment developed by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD), NCPN’s parent organization.
Framework Components
Examples:
- Local, regional, or state cross-agency partnerships
- Workforce system/board partnerships
- Enhancing/sustaining partnerships
- Federal and state funding to support pathways (WIOA, Perkins, foundation, etc.)
- Connecting education partners across the community
- Policy and program alignment
Examples:
- Strategic employer relationships
- Work-based Learning (for example: internships, co-ops, experiential learning, externships)
- Apprenticeship/Pre-apprenticeship
- Industry-recognized credentials
- Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) Model
- Employability skills/soft skills/power skills
Examples:
- Credit for prior learning
- Curriculum models that support all learners (IET, Corrections, etc.)
- Dual and articulated credit
- Stackable credential/micro-credential models
- Continuous Improvement and sustainability
- Pathways for emerging careers
Examples:
- Support strategies for every learner
- Mental wellness and career development
- Career coaching and advising
- Supporting special populations
- Recruitment and retention strategies
Featured Blog Post for the Week of April 21, 2025
- Employer Engagement
Skills-First Education: Building Talent Pipelines through Data Analytics and AI
Library of Blog Posts
Filter by CORD Framework Component
- Learner Supports, Pathway Design
Webinar: Preparing Technicians for a Cross-Disciplinary Future
https://youtu.be/tU1XqwsTCtc Technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things are transforming existing industries. Skilled technical workers of the future will need to function well in the ...
- Learner Supports, Pathway Design
Podcasts by Future of Work Project (CORD/NSF) Feature the Technologies That Drive Our Nation’s Economy
These interviews delve into the crucial discussions surrounding technicians, exploring the challenges and opportunities arising in the swiftly evolving landscape of the future workplace. An exceptional roster of educators and ...
- Learner Supports, Pathway Design
Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart to Keynote at NCPN CONNECT 2025
NCPN is pleased to announce that Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Chancellor of the Austin Community College District, will serve as keynote speaker at the NCPN CONNECT 2025 Conference, scheduled for February ...
- Employer Engagement
Journal of ATE Article Highlights BILT Model’s Role in Aligning Bioprocessing Education with Workforce Needs
CORD, the parent organization of NCPN, is pleased to announce that its Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model has been featured in an article published in the Journal of ...
- Pathway Ecosystems
Employer Strategies for Managing Successful Employer Councils
Everyone can agree that two major goals for all technical programs are to help students complete certificates and degrees that will make them highly employable and to engage with local ...
- Pathway Design
Mapping Your Students’ Career Pathway Opportunities
Each year new job titles and occupations emerge, and many students are faced with choosing a career they hope will provide advancement opportunities despite the uncertain landscape of the future ...
- Employer Engagement, Pathway Design, Pathway Ecosystems
Making the Case for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core
The nature of work is evolving right before our eyes. Technology advancements are transforming existing industries and creating new ones at an unprecedented pace. The World Economic Forum predicts significant ...
Apprenticeships in Career Pathways
Career pathways and registered apprenticeships (RA) have become familiar concepts in workforce and education. Known as strategies that aim to help workers acquire the skills and credentials they need to ...
Want the latest insights delivered to your inbox? Subscribe here to receive updates when new posts go live.
