"Launchpad Jobs" issue (December)
A newsletter (for adults) about career readiness (for kids)
Dear Readers,
Our new report, published jointly with the Burning Glass Institute, yields exciting insights into the early career decisions being made by young people and how their first moves out of high school are setting them up (or not) for career success. I invite you to read the full report for all the details (read the report), but at a high level we’ve learned that:
Some 38% of young people are leaving school and going directly into the workforce;
One in five workers without a degree are out-earning the median college graduate;
Two million nondegree workers are earning more than $100,000 per year.
The big takeaway? The first job a young person holds can be incredibly powerful in dictating the rest of their career arc. The ideal jobs, which we call launchpad jobs, are those that offer strong benefits and earning potential. Even more importantly, though, these jobs offer upskilling, learning, and even credentialing opportunities, and they have a clear upward trajectory or connection to other workforce areas. If you are the parent, guardian, teacher, or mentor of a child, these career areas are worth exploring together.
Looking across the career readiness landscape, I see that this has proven to be an incredibly busy season with many promising initiatives underway. Rural schools in Iowa are doing a great job of using work-based learning to prepare kids for the future, and are leaning on strong regional partnerships to help deliver it. (Read the story.) Education Week reports on five teens in Indiana whose lives have been changed by powerful youth internships in veterinary medicine, real estate, marketing, and beyond. (Read their stories.) The city of Charlotte has partnered with Bank of America to equip 1,600 teens and young adults with essential workplace skills. (Read the story.) The Department of Education has released a toolkit to help teachers and schools use AI safely and ethically in the classroom. (Read the announcement.) And, voters around the country weighed in on a number of state ballot measures that will impact K-12 policy for the foreseeable future. (Read about the measures.)
I’m also pleased to share with you my new podcast series, titled Youth Career Readiness: The One Question Podcast. In each episode, author Michael B. Horn and myself speak with celebrities and luminaries who share their pearls of wisdom for young people. Our latest episode features Emily Oster, a professor, author, and CEO of ParentData, who urges young people to focus on what they’ll do—not on what they’ll be—in a career.
And don’t miss our past episodes with award-winning artist and founder Common (watch it here), award-winning actor and founder Tanya Wright (watch it here), and medical doctor and professional athlete Julie Foucher (watch it here).
I wish you all a happy holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you back here in 2025 with more exciting news!
Sincerely,
Jean
P.S. - If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org
ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS & RESEARCH
How High School Graduates Can Improve Their Earnings Potential (The New York Times, November 21, 2024)
American Student Assistance Honored as a Winner in Four Categories for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards (ASA Newsroom, November 19, 2024)
Trendline: Graduation and Career Readiness (K-12 Dive, November 1, 2024)
Massachusetts, Famed for Tough School Standards, Rethinks its Big Test (The New York Times, October 28, 2024)
SC Sending K-12 Schools $2M to Lock up Student Cellphones (SC Daily Gazette, November 8, 2024)
Hiring a Job and Navigating a Career Begin in K-12 Schools (Forbes, November 1, 2024)
Calais Work-based Learning Student Gets a Flavor for the Food Service Industry (TAPinto Parsippany, November 8, 2024)
Springpod Raises $2.5M in New Funding to Expand Virtual Work-Based Learning (EdTech Review, October 29, 2024)
EVENTS
Finally, below is a list of upcoming events, and recaps of recent panel presentations and podcasts, that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.
REGISTER TO ATTEND
SXSW EDU (Austin, March 3-6, 2025 - Learn more)
ASU+GSV Summit (San Diego, April 6-9, 2025 - Learn more)
EVENT RECAPS
Investing for Systems Change in Education (Read the recap)