What’s next after high school? For more Rhode Island students, good things

Rhode Island and Utah have made the most progress toward creating equitable pathways to opportunity for high school graduates, according to the Strada Education Foundation's State Opportunity Index. (sdominick/Getty image)

As students throughout Rhode Island prepare for graduation, many are also trying to find an answer to the question, “What’s next?” For some, it’s a question about what’s next in their academic journey; for others, it’s about what’s next as they start a career, a trade, or a period of service to the country. Regardless of their vision of “next,” Rhode Island must continue to create systems and resources that support all students as they graduate and work to find their answer to this life-changing question.

When we prioritize creating systems and resources that effectively support Rhode Island’s high school and undergraduate students as they transition, we can unlock the potential of the next generation of leaders, changemakers, and entrepreneurs. This focus will prevent their talents from going unnoticed and becoming underutilized and create a workforce poised to reach its full potential.

Learn more about the Strada Education Foundation’s State Opportunity Index here. 

The Strada Education Foundation’s State Opportunity Index — released in April — was created to help states expand and create equitable pathways to career and education for post-high school students. Strada, one of the most preeminent education foundations in the United States, quantified this work to help individual states measure what areas they should invest in to ensure students have equitable access to a college or career pathway. 

Their research, and common sense, shows that when students have a clear and equitable path toward a career and the opportunity to engage in work-based learning and apprenticeships, employers have better access to a workforce. And, when employers are equipped to fill high-demand jobs that can help propel Rhode Island toward its goal of competing with our neighboring states and raising incomes.

Strada’s State Opportunity Index shows that Rhode Island is on the right path on several fronts (due in large part to mechanisms funded by the state over the last decade) but also that we have a good deal of work ahead of us to truly reach our potential. The Index found that Rhode Island ranks as one of the top two states — Utah is the other —  that are aligning post-high school education programs with high-demand, high-wage jobs. Rhode Island is also leading throughout the “Clear Outcomes” priority area, which measures the accessibility of accurate information on employment outcomes.

Generally, Rhode Island has room to improve its college-level employment; only 50-60% of college graduates ages 26-30 are employed in college-level jobs and there is particularly a gap in filling high-demand, high wage jobs in data analytics. State government, our colleges and universities, and our employers are working together to fill this gap.

Rhode Island ranks as one of the top two states — Utah is the other — that are aligning post-high school education programs with high-demand, high-wage jobs.

The findings in the State Opportunity Index are a direct result of Rhode Island’s continued commitment to finding the best pathways, resources, and programs to help post-high school students succeed. It’s certain that these rankings reflect the success of programs like the Rhode Island Promise scholarship, our PrepareRI dual enrollment programs, and the RealJobs RI workforce development initiative that has been heralded as a national best practice for years. The report also serves as a credible and essential resource for Rhode Island educational administrators, practitioners, and policymakers to utilize. 

Gov. Dan McKee has set a goal to raise annual personal  income by $20,000 before 2030, and that plan prioritizes work-based learning and apprenticeships. Continued investments in these programs will keep our education aligned with employers and will expand opportunity for adult and adolescent learners alike.

As a state, let’s continue to protect and expand the investments and programs that align our education and workforce development strategies with real employer needs. This will help more Rhode Islanders get hired into higher paying jobs with longer career trajectories.

The post What’s next after high school? For more Rhode Island students, good things appeared first on Rhode Island Current.