White Paper: Funding Strategies for Sustainable Career Connected Learning Initiatives

How can stackable credentials create stronger pathways from K-12 education to high-demand careers? 

For students, the path from high school to a successful career does not have to follow a single route. Stackable credentials can create flexible education-to-career pathways that allow students to earn valuable credentials, enter the workforce, and continue building their skills and earning potential over time. 

In the second installment of MGT’s Career Connected Learning (CCL) series, we explore how K-12 school districts, colleges, employers, funders, and policymakers can use stackable credentials to connect students with high-demand, middle-skill careers and expand opportunities for long-term economic mobility. This expert-driven white paper examines how industry-recognized credentials, dual-credit opportunities, work-based learning, and employer-aligned career pathways can work together to give students multiple entry and exit points between education and employment. 

Inside You’ll Discover: 

• How stackable credentials create flexible K-12 education-to-career pathways 

• Why industry-recognized credentials can strengthen career readiness and economic mobility 

• How dual credit and postsecondary partnerships can help students begin earning valuable credentials before graduation 

• How employers can help align credential pathways with high-demand workforce needs 

• Lessons from a Central Texas healthcare initiative that built stackable credential pathways beginning in high school 

• Practical considerations for education leaders, funders, and policymakers looking to strengthen credential pathways 

Designed for: 

Superintendents | District Leaders | CTE Leaders | College & Career Readiness Leaders | Postsecondary Partners | Workforce Development Leaders | Funders & Policymakers 

Strong stackable credential pathways give students more than one next step. They create opportunities to earn credentials with immediate workforce value while building toward advanced qualifications, higher-wage careers, and continued career growth. 

Explore how Career Connected Learning strategies can help K-12 systems build employer-aligned, stackable pathways that connect education to meaningful career opportunities.