Pathways to Advance Career Education (PACE)

The Pathways to Advance Career Education (PACE) Program will serve 600 individuals during the course of the 36-month grant period. The PACE Program will focus on the healthcare and information technology industries, selected not only because of their projected high growth but also because of the availability of entry-level positions for basic-skills individuals with the option for promotion to compensation levels that pay family-sustaining wages. These industries have a hierarchy of positions at each level, which lends itself well to accelerated programs that include soft skill training, contextualized education, and the provision of stackable credentials that qualify workers for entry and promotion within a growing career field. With the detailed input of RIDLT, Stepping Up, Quality Partners, and the Tech Collective, and cognizant of the available research, CCRI has identified major gaps in, and key strategies to improve, its current educational model and delivery systems. CCRI will integrate promising practices into the newly developed PACE Program and create an “earn and learn” model that will more effectively link education, training, and the workplace, and effectively address participants' identified barriers to program completion. Employers associated with CCRI's Industry Partners will actively participate in the design and development of the new curriculum and will provide experiential learning opportunities for PACE participants, who will be able to translate credits earned into industry-recognized certifications associated with higher wages. 2 PACE will enable CCRI to serve more participants more efficiently by eliminating duplication of services; strengthening linkages between workforce agencies, CCRI, and industry employers; better equipping the faculty and staff at CCRI to address the learning needs of the target population; and expanding upon existing career pathways. Together, these strategies will enable CCRI to increase its existing capacity over the three-year program period.