February 3, 2026
Powered by collaboration, innovation, and community partnership
Across Ohio, a powerful shift is underway in how students and adults discover, prepare for, and access meaningful career opportunities. The Career Pathway Support Network (CPSN) is uniting education systems, workforce partners, employers, and community-based organizations—including Future Plans and its flagship initiative, GRIT Ohio—to strengthen talent pipelines and build pathways that lead to long-term economic mobility.
Grounded in state funding and jointly guided by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce’s Office of Career-Technical Education, CPSN reflects a shared statewide vision: career pathways are strongest when education, employers, and community align around learner success.
A Statewide Commitment to Career Readiness
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) treats career exploration as an essential component of K–12 education. Through mandated advising, structured career exploration frameworks, and statewide tools like OhioMeansJobs-K12 and PortfoliOH, students gain early exposure to career options and hands-on learning that connects them to in-demand jobs.
Key elements of Ohio’s approach include:
- Mandated Career Advising
Ohio law requires districts to provide comprehensive, continuous career advising from kindergarten through grade 12—ensuring every student builds a personalized path aligned with their strengths and interests. - Career Connections Framework
This statewide framework integrates career awareness, exploration, and planning into classroom learning through career speakers, workplace visits, aptitude assessments, and more. - Future Plans& PortfoliOH
Digital platforms that help students track interests, store career artifacts, and log work-based learning experiences such as internships, job shadows, and professional projects. - In-Demand Career Pathways
A focus on 13 careerfields that connect students to high-skill, high-demand industries and promote the value of Career-Technical Education (CTE). - Graduation Pathways & Incentives
Career exploration is tied directly to graduation planning through student-created career plans and theOhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal. Schools are also incentivized to offer industry-recognized credentials that count toward the “Prepared for Success” measure. - Support for All Learners
Programs like Career-Based Intervention (CBI) ensure students in grades 7–12 who face barriers receive targeted career-focusedsupports.
Governor DeWine has emphasized the importance of this work, noting:
“Our continued support of expanding career-technical education and career planning for our students is an investment in Ohio’s future… more students will be able to access the in-demand skills and experiences they need to be successful after high school and reach their full potential.”
— Governor Mike DeWine
Modernizing Career-Technical Education Through Regional Networks
CPSN replaces Ohio’s former Tech Prep Regional Centers with seven regional support hubs aligned with JobsOhio workforce regions. These hubs coordinate partnerships across K–12 schools, community colleges, workforce boards, and employers to advance four major goals:
- Increase Access: Expand middle-grade (7–10) CTE offerings across all Local Education Agencies.
- Strengthen Advising: Ensure students receive consistent, high-quality career advising and mentoring.
- Coordinate Regional Planning: Align career-connected learning with workforce needs.
- Build Partnerships: Support new CTE instructors and administrators through collaboration with education, business, and community organizations.
This statewide network advances structured programs of study, articulation agreements, college credit opportunities, and workforce-aligned advising practices—all backed by more than $7 million in grant funding to bring “Career-Tech for All” to Ohio learners.
Partnerships that Make Pathways Possible
CPSN’s strength comes from a broad ecosystem of partners, including Future Plans and GRIT Ohio, alongside:
- ODE & Workforce
- Ohio Department of Higher Education
- OhioMeansJobs
- Workforce boards
- Community college systems
- Local employers
- Nonprofits and social service agencies
- Federal and regional funders such as the Appalachian Regional Commission
Future Plans captures this collaborative ethos well:
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
— Future Plans, About Our Partners
GRIT Ohio: Expanding Access and Equity in Career Pathways
As a key collaborator, GRIT Ohio—powered by Future Plans—brings localized, community-based support to students and adults across Appalachian and surrounding counties. GRIT helps individuals:
- Complete Future Plans career assessments
- Receive one-on-one coaching
- Access training, internships, job shadowing, and employment supports
- Overcome access barriers such as transportation or internet challenges
GRIT’s data insights strengthen regional decision-making, ensuring that CPSN strategies reflect real community needs and real learner strengths.
Community Collaboration at the Core
CPSN is designed as a connected support system—not just for students, but for communities. Future Plans and its partners collaborate with:
- OhioMeansJobs centers
- Community service agencies
- Behavioral health and re-entry organizations
- Local employers
- Workforce development boards
These partnerships provide wrap-around career supports that help individuals move from exploration to employment—and thrive once they get there.
Regional Innovation, Local Impact
CPSN’s regional design ensures flexibility and responsiveness. Local leaders tailor offerings to match employer demand, expand advising networks, create work-based learning opportunities, and promote credential attainment that leads to real jobs.
This model recognizes that stronger communities are built when individual empowerment is coupled with aligned systems.
Empowering Individuals, Strengthening Communities
By integrating Future Plans’ data-driven talent model, CPSN helps individuals identify their strengths, explore career options, and pursue sustainable employment pathways. The combined power of state agencies, educators, employers, and nonprofits creates scalable, equitable pathways to economic opportunity.
Governor DeWine underscores this commitment, emphasizing:
“By creating Career Pathway Support Networks, more students will be able to access the in-demand skills and experiences they need.”
— Governor Mike DeWine
Looking Forward
CPSN is still growing—and its future is rooted in collaboration. As the network evolves, its unified approach ensures that every learner, regardless of background or geography, has access to the guidance, experiences, and supports needed to pursue a meaningful, economically stable career.
Ohio is demonstrating what’s possible when education, workforce, and community partners work together: clearer pathways, stronger communities, and a more resilient workforce for generations to come.
