Purpose

Establishes a statewide student career pathways framework to help students access high-quality, employer-connected career experiences. The goal is to remove barriers and improve coordination among K-12 education, higher education, and the workforce system, while allowing local schools to adapt to their communities. Participation is voluntary for school districts and charter schools.

What the bill would do (Main provisions)

• Create a framework to align personalized learning plans, career and technical education (CTE), work-based learning, and postsecondary exploration for students.
• Define key terms, including experiential learning and participating schools.
• Require coordination among the Minnesota Department of Education, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and the Department of Higher Education, in partnership with the P20 Education Partnership, to develop the framework.
• Emphasize five focus areas:
  • Align strategies across secondary, postsecondary, and workforce systems for career exploration and employer engagement.
  • Integrate personalized learning plans, counseling, and CTE pathways into student career experiences.
  • Use personalized learning plans as a student-centered tool for career exploration and postsecondary planning.
  • Improve coordination of employer engagement to broaden access to high-quality experiences and reduce duplication.
  • Align tools, practices, and data systems to support student transitions from high school to postsecondary education and careers; track progress with labor market value credentials.
• Ensure the framework supports smooth transitions from high school to postsecondary options, such as concurrent enrollment, dual enrollment, youth skills training, and apprenticeships.
• Require state agencies to review existing laws, rules, and guidance (including federal programs like WIOA and Perkins) to remove constraints that limit local flexibility in implementing the framework.
• Create and share updated guidance on how to use existing federal funds to support the framework.
• Develop centralized resources (planning tools, templates, guidance) to help schools implement personalized learning plans and career exploration, plus model practices for expanding career exploration and employer-connected experiences.
• Promote equitable access to career-connected learning, especially for historically underserved students (low-income families, students of color, rural students).
• Provide optional tools and templates to track, evaluate, and continuously improve student career experiences, including transitions to postsecondary education and training.

How it would work (Framework details)

• Participation is optional; there is no new mandate forcing schools to join.
• The framework aims to coordinate and align:
  • Personalized learning plans with career exploration and postsecondary planning.
  • Counseling and career pathways with CTE.
  • Employer engagement and access to experiential learning opportunities.
  • Data and tools across secondary, postsecondary, and workforce systems.
• The framework should help students gain labor-market-valued credentials and improve transitions into college, apprenticeships, or employment.
• The plan supports expansion of work-based learning opportunities and better alignment between secondary and postsecondary programs to enable smoother transitions.

Roles and responsibilities

• Commissioners from the Department of Education, Department of Employment and Economic Development, and Department of Higher Education must work together, with the P20 Partnership, to design and implement the framework.
• These agencies must review state statutes, rules, and federal guidance to identify barriers and propose reforms that increase local flexibility.
• They must issue updated joint guidance on permissible uses of federal funds to support the framework.
• The agencies will maintain centralized resources and tools to help districts implement the framework, including templates and evaluation methods.

Implementation and resources

• Centralized planning tools, templates, and guidance to strengthen personalized learning plans as a basis for career exploration and readiness.
• Model practices to broaden career exploration and employer-connected experiences, including better integration of rigorous coursework, dual enrollment, and work-based opportunities.
• Resources focused on equitable access to career-connected learning opportunities for underserved students and communities.
• Optional tools to support tracking, evaluation, and continuous improvement of student experiences and transitions.

Reporting and accountability

• By January 15, 2028, the agencies must submit a joint report to legislative committees on K-12 education and workforce development.
• The report should cover actions taken to remove barriers to using the framework and recommendations for further alignment using existing resources.

Significant changes to existing law

• Creates a new statewide student career pathways framework that ties together K-12, postsecondary education, and the workforce system.
• Adds a requirement for inter-agency coordination and guidance to support local implementation and flexibility.
• Establishes centralized resources and templates to standardize and support career pathways activities, while preserving local choice and voluntary participation.
• Introduces a formal reporting requirement to track progress and next steps, with a timeline (report due in 2028).

Potential impacts

• More students may access high-quality, employer-connected learning experiences through schools that opt in.
• Increased alignment between high school, college, and in-demand careers, with a focus on credentials valued by the labor market.
• Greater use of personalized learning plans to guide career exploration and postsecondary planning.
• Schools could implement more work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities with improved support and guidance.
• Less fragmentation between education and workforce systems due to shared tools and data alignment.

Relevant terms - student career pathways framework - experiential learning - work-based learning - career-connected learning - personalized learning plans - CTE (career and technical education) - postsecondary exploration - employer engagement - concurrent enrollment - dual enrollment - youth skills training - preapprenticeship - apprenticeship - postsecondary credentials with labor market value - P20 Education Partnership - guidelines/guidance - WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) - Perkins (Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act) - equitable access - planning tools - templates - data alignment - transitions (high school to postsecondary) - mandates vs. voluntary participation - centralized resources - reporting requirements