Adult Career Pathways for Beginning and Intermediate Levels: A Place to Start

Adult Career Pathways, called ACP for short, actually has a long Federal definition from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that involves seven characteristics (detailed on this 2-page ACP Brief). What’s the bottom line? In an Adult Education Career Pathway class, basic skills education, career training, and workforce readiness training are integrated into a single, short-term class where an individual can skill up to enter a career field with opportunities for advancement.

Ten years ago, it was common to have Adult Career Pathway classes that required a High School Equivalency, 9th grade reading level, or similar academic milestone required for entry. Those requirements, created with the best of intentions, meant that recruitment materials for ACP classes were directed to GED and HSE students, a relatively small group of learners.

Although specific programs vary greatly, large numbers of Adult Ed students in Minnesota enter their local program at a Beginning or Intermediate ESL or ABE NRS level (see Table 1 NRS data for dates July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023). Maybe your program is experiencing increasing numbers of beginning level students, or you are working on developing career pathway classes due to involvement in an Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) project. Regardless of the reason, many adult educators are asking how do I build an Adult Career Pathway targeted to students at the beginning and intermediate levels?

This question led me to a training called Creating a Career Pathways Services Model that Supports Low-Level Learners, facilitated by Jeffery A. Fantine, PHD. Two specific strategies were introduced and later explored in a panel presentation at the Language & Literacy Institute in January 2025.

Strategy #1: Contextualize Instruction

 Adult Career Pathways utilize an integrated approach, which is a perfect match for contextualized instruction, where career content is taught simultaneously with basic skills. Learn more about Contextualized Instruction with this article from the MN ABE Connect article Welcoming Refugees into the Workforce with Career Contextualized Basic Skills Instruction. If you are looking for a place to start, try to:

• Involve ACES/TF Transitions content and practice soft skills. Find lesson plans and other resources related to ACES on the ATLAS website: https://atlasabe.org/resources/aces/
• Integrate digital literacy and financial literacy.
• Partner with employers for workplace literacy programs.
• Hands-on learning through job shadowing: consider partnering with your school district around nutrition services, IT, janitoring or para job opportunities.
• Provide project-based learning opportunities. These are less structured learning experiences where students can practice problem solving on their own or in groups. Examples include developing a marketing plan or budget, or creating a newsletter.

Strategy #2: Create a Career Culture

What are the shared values, beliefs and behaviors at your organization? If career pathways are not central, consider including some of these ideas to build an organizational culture that is intentional about career pathways.

• Train all staff on available career pathway options: teachers at all levels, intake staff, administrators & volunteers!
• Use college and career speak. Consistently apply what you are working on in the classroom into work and college situations.
• Treat school like a job; explain expectations regarding attendance or communication.
• Co-Enroll in local Workforce system; develop a two-way referral system between your program and a local CareerForce or other workforce agency.
• Set & Revisit academic and career goals; try graphic organizers.
• Display career pathway information throughout to enhance visibility of career pathway programs.

These examples are a place to start when targeting students at the beginning and intermediate level for Adult Career Pathways. Looking for more concrete examples? Educators from three Minnesota programs shared methods they use for working with beginning and intermediate level students in Adult Career Pathways at the 2025 Language & Literacy Institute session “ACP is for Everyone: Including All Levels in Adult Career Pathways.” You can review the presentation slides and notes from the session.

Thank you to Paulina Kohan and Morgan Hightower from Metro South, Tracy Chase and Theresa Luther-Dolan from Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA), and Lynn Thompson from International Institute of Minnesota for sharing with the field. Additional training and dialogue are essential to ensure students of all levels can fully engage in Adult Career Pathways, but I hope these ideas serve as a helpful starting point.