Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to co-chair Advisory Board
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has launched a Service-to-Career Pathways Policy Academy in partnership with the Schultz Family Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. State teams from Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Vermont have been selected to receive grant funding and customized technical assistance from the NGA Center to advance their Governor’s service-to-career pathway policy goals.
A Service-to-Career Pathways Advisory Board will provide strategic guidance to the NGA Center on the development and delivery of programming and technical assistance through the Policy Academy. Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Maryland Governor Wes Moore will co-chair the Advisory Board, which is comprised of a group of executives and stakeholders with a commitment to ensuring that service programs are a key tool for providing youth and young adults with career development opportunities.
As Governors implement their workforce development policy agendas in the face of labor shortages in nearly every sector of the economy, state and national service programs offer a promising strategy to reduce barriers to workforce participation and meet community and employer needs. In November 2023, the NGA Center published Service as a Pathway to Economic Opportunity: A Roadmap for Governors, highlighting five key elements with related policy options for Governors to consider as they develop and execute a vision for service-to-career pathways. In January 2024, the NGA Center brought together 10 state teams in Annapolis, Maryland to explore service as a pathway to economic opportunity and workshop their state’s unique priorities and next steps for action.
Throughout the duration of the Policy Academy, the six state teams will develop an action plan to advance service-to-career pathways in key sectors, especially for young people. Facilitated peer learning opportunities and assistance from national subject matter experts will also help to inform their action plans.
In addition to the Policy Academy, the NGA Center is offering states the opportunity to join a Service-to-Career Pathways Community of Practice. States who join the Community of Practice will have access to select resources developed for the Policy Academy, participate in a bimonthly webinar series, and join in facilitated peer learning opportunities.
For questions about the Service-to-Career Pathways Policy Academy, please email Jack Porter at jporter@nga.org.
