By: Kayleigh P. Marques
October 25th, 2024
Introduction
On October 21st, 2024, Clear Impact hosted a webinar in partnership with the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium (GCCC), titled “Advancing Education and Workforce Equity: The Greater Cleveland Career Consortium Story.” This roundtable discussion featured key leaders from GCCC, including:
- Autumn Russell – President and CEO, Greater Cleveland Career Consortium
- Dr. Michael Schoop – Senior Vice President, Talent, Greater Cleveland Partnership
- Dr. Bill Wagner – Director, First Ring Schools Collaborative
- Dr. Michelle Scott Taylor – President and Incoming CEO, College Now Greater Cleveland
During the webinar, panelists shared insights into how cross-sector partnerships, clear success metrics, and a culture of shared accountability drive education and workforce equity in Greater Cleveland. This blog post summarizes the key takeaways from the webinar, offering a structured, case-study perspective on how GCCC is transforming career pathways for students.
Watch the webinar recording here or view it below.
The Origins of the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium
The formation of GCCC was a response to a critical challenge identified in 2019—data revealed that only 50% of high school graduates in the Greater Cleveland region enrolled in post-secondary education or training. This alarming statistic sparked conversations about whether schools were truly preparing students for success beyond high school.
Recognizing the need for a systemic solution, a coalition of educators, employers, philanthropic organizations, and government agencies came together to rethink career preparation. Their collective goal was to move beyond the traditional “college or career” approach and instead focus on building diverse career pathways that include college, apprenticeships, certifications, and direct entry into the workforce.
In March 2022, after two and a half years of development, GCCC officially launched with a mission to ensure every student in the region graduates with a career vision and plan.
GCCC envisions “a comprehensive, coordinated, and community-wide approach to career exploration and readiness that empowers young Greater Clevelanders, sets them up for success, and advances regional economic prosperity.”
Designing the PACE Framework: A Student-Centered Approach
At the heart of GCCC’s work is the PACE (Planning and Career Exploration) Framework, an innovative career exploration curriculum embedded into school systems. The curriculum, designed for students from 6th to 12th grade, integrates in-school activities, career-based learning experiences, and employer connections to help students identify and pursue career paths aligned with their interests and skills.
According to Autumn Russell, President and CEO of GCCC:
“We wanted PACE to be embedded into as many school districts as possible to make sure that our entire region, our students in the region, have the opportunity to really connect to these careers that will then drive economic growth and mobility across our region.”
Key features of the PACE Framework include:
- Career exploration activities integrated into classroom learning
- Self-assessment tools that help students identify interests and strengths
- Work-based learning opportunities, such as job shadowing, internships, and industry partnerships
- Personalized career planning, ensuring every student graduates with a well-defined career trajectory
The First Ring Schools Collaborative, led by Dr. Bill Wagner, played a crucial role in implementing PACE across 11 school districts, reaching over 30,000 students in the region.
The PACE Framework is a structured career exploration model developed by over 140 cross-sector partners to guide schools in providing 6th-12th grade students with in-class career activities, out-of-school experiences, and professional advising. Supported by the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium (GCCC), PACE fosters meaningful student-employer engagement and shifts the conversation from choosing between college or career to helping students define their career goals and explore multiple pathways to success.
Advancing Equity in Education and Workforce Development
Equity is a foundational principle for the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium (GCCC), guiding its mission to provide all students with meaningful career pathways.
GCCC’s commitment to equity is evident in its efforts to drive the region toward a more equitable and inclusive workforce.
Throughout the webinar, panelists emphasized the importance of ensuring equitable access to career exploration and readiness opportunities.
Key Equity Initiatives at GCCC:
- Intentional Focus on Underserved School Districts – According to Autumn Russell, “We were very intentional about how we prioritized the districts that we are currently serving. And that was with an equity lens.” She further explained that their first phase of implementation focused on schools with the highest percentage of students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
- Data-Driven Equity Efforts – GCCC leverages the Clear Impact Scorecard to measure participation rates and program outcomes. This ensures transparency and allows stakeholders to assess progress in providing equitable opportunities for students. Russell emphasized, “We really want to make sure that we are prioritizing continuous improvement and that we continue to provide an initiative that is not to or for people, but with people.”
- Diverse Cross-Sector Collaboration – GCCC intentionally brings together education, government, philanthropy, and industry partners to break down silos and align resources. As Autumn Russell stated, “We are really here to coordinate and align existing efforts and structures. We are not creating new programming—we are leveraging and capitalizing on existing partnerships.”
- Embedding Equity in Career Advising – GCCC ensures that career pathways reflect the diverse aspirations and needs of students. Russell shared that “PACE is about making sure that all students have the opportunity to understand who they are, what they like, and align those interests to existing opportunities in our region.” This approach shifts the traditional “college or career” conversation to a more inclusive “career-first, multi-pathway” model, allowing students to explore all available options.
As Dr. Michael Schoop highlighted, “We want to make sure that all the folks in this region are connected to the full range of opportunities, especially as the region’s economy continues to shift.” GCCC’s work is deeply tied to regional workforce needs, ensuring students—particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds—are connected to livable-wage career pathways in high-demand industries like healthcare, IT, and manufacturing.
By keeping equity at the forefront of its mission, GCCC is working to expand access to career preparation resources, create inclusive workforce pipelines, and foster economic mobility for all students in the Greater Cleveland region.
The Power of Cross-Sector Collaboration
A key driver behind GCCC’s success is its cross-sector collaboration model. Unlike traditional education initiatives that rely solely on school systems, GCCC brings together educators, employers, non-profits, and government agencies under a collective impact framework. This intentional partnership ensures that career readiness efforts are coordinated, sustainable, and scalable.
As Autumn Russell noted:
“…we stay true to the collective impact model. And so, as I mentioned, collective impact is a very prescribed way of a collaboration. And so we have designed what we call work groups. [These are] comprised of those same cross-sector partners, not only the leadership of the organizations, but also a lot of the implementers of the organizations that are doing the day-to-day on the groundwork are coming together to collectively develop what we should be working on today.”
Key partners include:
- Employers (over 100 companies engaged in work-based learning initiatives)
- Nonprofit organizations (such as College Now Greater Cleveland, which provides college and career advising)
- Philanthropic foundations (which help fund programming and expansion efforts)
- School districts (who implement the PACE curriculum and support career pathways at the district level)
View a full list of GCCC partners here.
GCCC has establishd “a consortium of multi-sector partners critical to coordinating, implementing, aligning, and sustaining the effort.” Collaboration is a core value, and GCCC works to ensure “all contributors have a shared vision for change and a collective approach to the work.”
Data-Driven Decision Making and Public Accountability
One of GCCC’s defining features is its commitment to data transparency and continuous improvement.
Results-Based Accountability (RBA)
Shared measurement is key to any successful collective impact model. GCCC employs Results-Based Accountability (RBA)—a structured approach to problem-solving that moves from ideas to action. With the help of a Clear Impact consultant, GCCC has outlined clear success metrics and developed a data-driven approach to measuring community impact.
More information about RBA: Clear Impact RBA Overview
Turn-the-Curve (TTC) Thinking
As part of the RBA process, Turn-the-Curve (TTC) Thinking helps GCCC continuously analyze data and implement actionable improvements. This methodology ensures that district staff, youth-serving nonprofits, and GCCC backbone staff work together to assess outcomes and refine strategies based on real-time insights.
More information about TTC: Turn-the-Curve Thinking
The Clear Impact Scorecard
To make this data accessible, GCCC partnered with Clear Impact to develop a public-facing scorecard that tracks progress against key goals. This real-time dashboard, available on the GCCC website, allows stakeholders—including educators, employers, funders, and the public—to monitor success and make data-driven decisions.
The Scorecard provides high-level metrics broken down by race and ethnicity, ensuring that equity remains central to decision-making and impact measurement. It also includes contextual narratives to give stakeholders a deeper understanding of progress and areas for growth.
Autumn Russell emphasized the importance of this transparency:
“So data plays a major part. It really is our way to communicate. It is our way to inform us on what changes need to be made. And it also tells our story, right? Where we are, how we got here…we collect data at the population level where we are tracking, you know, high school and post-secondary education enrollment and completion rates. Advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion, employment and retention. But then we’re also actively collecting data just around our program level…We are prioritizing continuous improvement. And that we continue to provide an initiative that is not to or for people, but with people. And all of our stakeholders. And so that data is not held tightly. It’s very public.”
View GCCC’s public Scorecards on their website: Our Impact.
More information about Scorecard: Clear Impact Scorecard.
Clear Impact Scorecard allows GCCC to share progress within the collective and with the community for greater accountability and transparency – core values of GCCC
Conclusion
The Greater Cleveland Career Consortium is a powerful example of how cross-sector collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and equity-focused strategies can transform education and workforce systems. By aligning stakeholders, embedding career exploration in schools, and ensuring transparency through public data reporting, GCCC is paving the way for a more inclusive, economically vibrant future.
To learn more about GCCC and explore their progress, visit www.greaterclecc.org.
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