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This multi-year demonstration project (August 2025–December 2028) will engage eight community colleges nationwide in strengthening paths from low-wage jobs to employment in high-demand fields, including early childhood education, healthcare, and supervision roles.

Delivered in partnership with the Community College Research Center and WestEd, the October 2025 institute engaged the 28 participating colleges in reviewing program and labor market data to assess gaps and opportunities; discussing how to connect students to programs of study early in their college experience; and exploring new ways to engage adult learners. 

The initiative is engaging eight Ohio community colleges in institutional efforts designed to remove financial obstacles to student progress and completion. NCII is leading both technical assistance delivery and analysis of impact for the three-year effort (2025-2027).

Originally developed for the Leadership Academy for Student Success–a joint NCII and Aspen effort to equip middle leaders with an understanding of critical student success and change management concepts–the 10-module series draws on Aspen’s fellowship curriculum. Colleges and organizations can adapt and apply these resources to support leadership development at all levels in service of improved community college outcomes. Access the curriculum.

The institute emphasized mission-driven accountability, supporting participating colleges in developing a shared vision for promoting students’ economic mobility and cultivating an institutional culture of inquiry and improvement that encourages leadership and front-line practitioner collaboration for enhanced student and community outcomes. Visit Rural Guided Pathways for more information.

Phase 2 (2025-2027) builds on the incredible progress of Phase 1 (2022-2024), adding 13 colleges to 15 from the original cohort. Colleges will work with each other – and community partners in their regions – to implement evidence-based, institution-wide reforms grounded in the guided pathways framework. Learn more about Rural Pathways.

In 2025, NCII will provide the college a customized version of our Framework for Exploring and Using Labor Market Data for Improvement, assisting it in determining programs with good wages and solid demand in the Boston area. This effort will result in the identification of new programs to develop or current ones to expand, including non-degree, non-credit credentials.  

Between March and August 2025, NCII will study what preparation is needed to move workers from low-paying, front-line positions to supervisory roles that are the next step on their career ladder, and how community colleges can best partner with employers to support this progression.

This one-day event will introduce area labor market data to 12 East Texas community colleges, highlighting both high-demand and declining jobs and facilitating strategic conversations on opportunities for upskilling and reskilling community members to meet workforce needs. 

This annual convening engages educational leaders from the state’s 28 two- and four-year undergraduate institutions and is a cornerstone of the Louisiana Meauxmentum Framework, the state’s student success strategy which seeks to achieve 60% credential attainment among working-age adults by 2030.