Increased Demand for Career Readiness Education

Between rising student loan debt and a highly competitive job market, American families have seen the writing on the wall and are recognizing the need to introduce their children to career pathways before they graduate from high school.

Parents and students alike may aspire to a four-year college degree, but many are faced with the difficult reality that college may not be attainable for everyone. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 65% of families are facing barriers to their preferred postsecondary path, including a lack of finances, information or availability, as well as the poor preparation provided by their child's school.

In a national survey conducted by Stride, an overwhelming majority (82%) of parents stated that their family would be most likely to choose a high school that offers career readiness education (CRE). When most parents think about CRE, they think about their own experiences taking shop class, mechanics, or home economics. But the demand for and resources to offer those classes have along since fallen by the wayside.   

The career courses at Stride Career Prep schools and programs aim to set kids on the path to fill jobs in booming industries like IT, engineering, healthcare, business, and more. There CRE programs are giving students access to career exploration, project-based learning, and clubs that connect them with like-minded peers. They can even begin to earn certifications, which provide the skills needed to enter the workforce with confidence.

At the same time, high school students have access to courses like computer programming, law enforcement, medical billing, manufacturing, accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, and agribusiness, among others, to prepare them in high school for the jobs of the future.

But don’t just take my word for it: 95% of parents say a Stride Career Prep school helped prepare their child for future success and 82% said it helped their child explore career pathways. There are opportunities galore for students who are exposed to their careers at a younger age, and Stride is helping students find their passion in life, earlier in life, so they can spend more time pursuing their career goals.