Designing State Talent Systems that work
We believe state systems should unlock talent, not limit it.
Designing State Talent Systems That Work supports the mission by creating coherent, skills-based systems that enable learner mobility, credential portability, and long-term economic opportunity at scale.
WHAT STATES NEED
At the state level, fragmented policies, funding, and data systems often create barriers for learners trying to move between education and work.
This strategy focuses on aligning these systems to create consistent, high-quality pathways, strategies, and policies that lead to good jobs across regions and institutions.
WHAT CHANGES FOR LEARNERS
While specific solutions vary based on regional context, the goal remains the same: to create more aligned, responsive ecosystems that connect learners to meaningful work and support long-term regional prosperity.
Credentials recognized across institutions and employers
Early access to college credit and career pathways
High-quality pathways available statewide
WHAT WE DO
By working with state agencies, education systems, policymakers, employers, and learners, the Lab supports the design of more coherent, skills-based systems that enable mobility, portability, and long-term economic opportunity.
The Lab advances this work through a set of integrated programs that design, validate, and scale skills-based pathways.
Career Readiness System Design
Redesigning state-level youth career readiness systems to spark early career exposure and prepare young learners (K-12) for the future of work.
Designing Workforce Pell Pathway Systems
Build statewide frameworks that enable consistent, high-quality, employer-validated pathways across institutions, including the design of dual-enrollment strategies and pathways at the state level.
Learning Mobility Collaboratives
Enable learners to accumulate and showcase validated skills and credentials through interoperable systems, co-designing the technical infrastructure as part of a statewide, grassroots-level design process with public higher education institutions.
EXPLORE RELATED PROJECTS
IMPACT
We don’t just design programs — we design for system-level impact.
We change systems by centering New Majority Learners in a collaborative process that results in a ripple effect of transformation across multiple levels, from individual programs and colleges, to regions and state systems.
Transformation is reflected in how colleges operate, with the Lab leading them to:
Connect and sustain cross-sector partnerships that drive shared decision-making and ongoing alignment of regional workforce priorities
Build statewide capacity to scale and sustain innovation by supporting systems through dedicated coordination and learning structures, using data to continuously adapt policy, and aligning funding and policy to expand stackable pathways beyond pilot programs
Enable a statewide skills and credential infrastructure that aligns taxonomy, data systems, and state goals, allowing outcomes to be tracked across regions and giving learners portable, interoperable records recognized across institutions and employers
Shift mindsets so state systems are aligned to consistently connect learning to opportunity and economic mobility