The U.S. Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Department of Labor have just issued a joint RFI seeking information and recommendations related to career pathway implementation.

There are a couple of places in the RFI where the adult education community could offer some useful guidance:

• How can career pathways systems be made accessible to diverse populations and responsive to their needs beyond education and training (e.g., support services such as childcare, transportation, housing, etc.)? We are particularly, but not exclusively, interested in learning about efforts to serve low-income youth and adults, low-skilled youth and adults, out-of-school youth, individuals with disabilities, TANF recipients, tribal communities, English language learners, immigrants, rural populations, veterans, currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, dislocated workers, and trade-affected workers.
• Which populations would you like to serve, but are unable to serve or face special challenges in serving? What are the barriers to serving these particular populations and what are the strategies, recommendations, or lessons learned that can be used to achieve positive outcomes in serving these populations? (my emphasis)

A webinar on the RFI is planned for May 1st. Head over to the Workforce3One Web site for more information and to register.