The complexities of workforce development and career pathways in the the 21st century requires career coaching that engages a comprehensive understanding of industry, career clusters and trajectories, educational systems, workforce systems, and human-centered design to address systemic inequities that encumber the ability for all learners to access quality education and living wage careers. This 24-hour micro-credential will provide a holistic approach to career navigation that emphasizes knowledge-building that bridges education and workforce systems and highlights the nuances of regional economies, labor markets, and models for accelerated learning and employment that supports economic mobility for all learner-workers.
The micro-credential in Career Navigation is centered on four dimensions of workforce development:
- Regional economies, labor market demand, and educational labor supply
- The WIOA workforce system and structure
- Educational institutions, systems and structures
- Human-centered design for equity
Professional Learning Objectives:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of occupations, industry sectors, career clusters and labor demand
- Understand the relationship between educational programs, industry sectors and career clusters
- Ability to navigate federal and state workforce systems
- Comprehension of postsecondary systems and organizational structures
- Understanding of human-centered design and the unique needs of adult learners
Course Syllabus
Module
Description
Date
Module 1 – Career Navigation: Labor Market Demand by Sector
Learning Objective: This module works off the micro credential by taking a deep dive into labor market demand data.
Career navigators must be knowledgeable not only in local occupations but also in understanding the alignment across education and training, wages, future demand, and career trajectories. Professionals will be exposed to a variety of labor demand data in a digestible format to support the development of career pathway planning for adult learners. Localized data for top industry sectors will be used for the Capital Adult Education Regional Consortium.
To Do: Review the Advance CTE Career Cluster Framework
10/02/26
Format: Online synchronous
Module 2 – Labor Demand & Career Cluster Framework
Learning Objective: This module will highlight the alignment of occupations with career clusters and industry credentials using localized pathway maps and industry profiles.
Exploring labor market demand can be far more complex than a one-dimensional lens may afford. Understanding how occupations align with individual industry sectors and sub sectors or how cross-cutting occupations and skills flow across an economy is essential in order to support pathway planning for adult learners.
To Do: Map existing programs to clusters and sub-clusters (worksheet provided)
10/16/26
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 3 – Career Clusters & Educational Programming
Learning Objective: This module will explore formal methodologies for training alignment and job placement.
In today’s rapidly evolving economy, aligning education and training programs with regional workforce needs is critical to building equitable career pathways. This module explores how to evaluate diverse learning models—such as adult education, Integrated Education and Training (IET), noncredit and credit programs, and industry-recognized credentials—and align them to target occupations within a regional economy.
To Do:
- Identify programs that would fit the IET model and provide learners with a path to living wage, high-demand employment
- Cross-reference labor demand in terms of the Career Cluster Framework and identify entry-level pathway gaps (worksheet provided)
11/6/26
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 4 – Educational Systems & Workforce Systems
Learning Objective: This module explores the organizational structures of Postsecondary Educational Systems and the WIOA Titles I-IV workforce system and structure.
In order to effectively support adult learners, navigators must thoroughly understand how to “navigate” both systems concurrently. Adult Education/Title II is the area most engaged by each systems. This module will also cover modern educational models such as Integrated Education and Training that have proven and promising strategies to increase non-degree credential attainment.
To Do: Identify a path for an adult learner that would require integration with both AJCC and postsecondary systems and what resources each system would provide for a high-demand career cluster.
12/4/26
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 5 – Philanthropic Resources and Grant Writing Basics for Adult Ed
Learning Objective: This module will walk participants through a variety of community and corporate philanthropic funding opportunities that align with the goals of adult education and target populations. Participants will understand how to compose Letters of Inquiry, Letter of Interest, and Statements of Need grounded in labor market and community data.
Expanding Adult Education programming to include vocational training and IET models can be challenging with limited resources at the state and federal levels. Engaging in resource development thought philanthropic funding sources can help kick-start new programming or expand high-demand programming.
To Do: Identify a philanthropic opportunity that you would like to apply for and the associated program, learner support, or capacity building and compose a statement of need (worksheet provided).
12/18/26
10am-12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 6 – Career Clusters, Job Placement & Industry Relations
Module 7 – Pathway Planning & Sector Strategies
Module 6 Learning Objective: This module engages the craft of employer relations and job placement in the context of the modernized career cluster framework and pathway planning for adult learner-workers.
The most challenging part of workforce development is placement of individuals into entry and middle skilled jobs -this is where the rubber meets the road. Traditional career coaching typically serves only one side of the equation; this module will expose professionals in the field to methods that engage both employers and job seekers to find the right match.
Module 7 Learning Objective: This module also takes a deep dive into Pathway Planning to include the various definitions of a living wage occupation and explore wage trajectories for high demand occupations.
Effective career navigation requires a comprehensive understanding of career ladders and trajectories (pathways)s along with geolocated educational options, wages and living wage definitions. Multiple federally sponsored programs require attainment of not just a living wage, but also a prevailing wage.
To Do: Group Pathway Mapping!
1/08/27
10am – 2:30pm
Format: In-person, SCOE
Module 8 – Work-based Learning Models
Learning Objective: This module explores the highly relevant and vastly expansive world of work-based learning in the modern era, including how to leverage workforce system resources to serve adult learner-workers.
Work-based learning has a long history within postsecondary educational systems and workforce systems. They have typically run parallel, though have rarely intersected. The one example of cross-pollination is the implementation of apprenticeship initiatives, though even these initiatives can remain compartmentalized without concerted efforts to engage both education and workforce systems.
1/22/27
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 9 – Skills-Based Hiring & Pathways
Why Skills-based Hiring? Skills-based hiring moves away from the traditional focus on education, previous employers, years of experience, and job titles as indicators of a candidate’s capabilities. Instead, it focuses on the specific skills needed to do the actual job for which an employer is hiring.
Key Impacts of Skills-Based Hiring:
-
- Diversify your hiring pool
- Increase the likelihood of a quality hire
- Improve retention rates
- Build soft skills
- Position your company to be more competitive
To Do: Identify 2-3 employer partners across top career clusters to design a WBL opportunity with them.
2/05/27
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
Module 10 – Human-Centered Design
Learning Objective: This module focuses on human-centered design, using knowledge acquired in the previous modules to design feasible pathways for learner-worker personas.
Working with adult learners in the rural context brings with it various nuances that should be considered to provide effective career navigation. Adult learners can be broadly categorized into four personas: Career Advancers, Career Builders, Discerning Academics, and Hesitant Learners, each with unique motivations and learning preferences. Understanding these personas is crucial for tailoring effective educational strategies.
To Do: Complete the Adult Education Persona worksheet based on knowledge gained through the past five months. (worksheet provided)
2/19/27
10am – 12pm
Format: Online synchronous
About Instructor
Course Includes
- 10 Lessons
