May 23, 2023 – Career-connected learning leader NS4ed, LLC is expanding the reach and depth of its solutions, announcing today the acquisition of workforce and economic development thought-leader Partnership for Workforce Innovation (PWI).
PWI has provided comprehensive, detailed analysis of authoritative labor market and demographic data to help policymakers, economic developers, workforce developers, and educational leaders work collaboratively to build comprehensive career and talent pathways to support key businesses and industries and drive economic development.
PWI has conducted more than 400 local and regional labor market analyses over the last two decades and regularly works with economic development and educational entities to synthesize those analyses into actionable strategic plans.
Trevor Stokes, CEO of PWI, served for five years as the Workforce Programs Manager for the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Arizona’s labor market information and workforce policy hub. He has been involved in some of the country’s most innovative and successful career-driven education and workforce development initiatives, including Go Build Alabama, Florida Ready to Work and the New Mexico Comprehensive Local Needs Analysis. In Arizona, he designed and implemented numerous innovative projects, including the Arizona Advanced Technologies Network, the Maryvale Workforce Initiative, and the Arizona Career Readiness Credential.
His credentials also include:
- Arizona’s Adult Education 2018 WIOA Partner of the Year
- a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Communities That Work program
- a member of the Arizona Association of Career and Technical Education’s Circle of Distinction
- Arizona’s delegate to the National Governors Association Good Jobs for All Americans initiative
- a Certified Community Researcher
Trevor Stokes shared, “The philosophies and priorities that led to the growth of our organizations make this merger a natural fit. NS4Ed’s products and services are redefining the concept of career-connected learning and are uniquely suited to address the crisis of engagement which faces our students and our workforce in this moment. Adding PWI’s expertise in workforce development policy and strategy will expand the theaters in which NS4Ed’s career-driven education offerings can bring value to learners, employers, industries, and communities.”
The formal merger of these two long-time partners places NS4ed in a unique leadership position to fully partner with states, communities, school districts, nonprofits, and others who seek to build pathways from classrooms to high-demand and growing industries. Career-connected learning is rapidly growing beyond the limitations of Career and Technical Education to become whole-of-school approaches to support increased high school and college graduation rates. Building on its established partnership to support state-level efforts in Massachusetts and Texas, the acquisition places NS4ed in a unique leadership position to fully partner with states, communities, school districts, nonprofits, and others who seek to build pathways from classrooms to high-demand and growing industries.
This merger solidifies NS4ed’s success at operating at the intersection of education, employment, economic development, and equity. The most recent revisions to the Carl B. Perkins Act that funds Career and Technical Education, the Sector Strategies of workforce development entities, and the Talent Pipeline approaches being led by employers, chambers, and industry associations all signal that innovative approaches are urgently needed to close long-standing gaps.
“The revolution in career-connected learning is here,” said Dr. Joseph Goins, founder and CEO of NS4ed. “But career-connected learning will fail unless leaders, policymakers, and teachers in the classroom are able to knowledgably function at the intersection of education, employment, and economic development at the community, region, and state level. This merger gives NS4ed the unique ability to help districts and states create coherence and cohesion in talent development pipelines from the classroom to the workplace.”
NS4ed created the first-of-its-kind Pathway2Careers™ curriculum and platform, a holistic, innovative, career-connected program. The Pathway2Careers Math Curriculum provides complete curricula for pre-algebra, algebra I & II, and geometry with embedded career-connected learning. This career-focused math helps bridge gaps between education and industry to support all learners by achieving effective career-connected learning and assisting the students in identifying and working towards their career goals. Additionally, the P2C Career Exploration Curriculum provides an innovative platform with various exploration tools, including the Labor Market Navigator, and additional lessons for grades 6 – 12, supporting guided career exploration, cultivating career awareness (by high-lighting high-value careers and authentic career story interviews), and facilitating career readiness.
To learn more contact Dr. Joseph Goins at (865) 413-0033.
About Pathway2Careers: NS4ed is an educational research and development company dedicated to ensuring education remains relevant, so learners fully engage. NS4ed’s mission is to clear the biggest hurdles in education by challenging current approaches and motivating student learning through career-connected relevance. This is achieved by delivering comprehensive career-connected learning solutions to states, schools, and districts, backed by industry-leading research and technical services that help to remove obstacles to implementation, narrowing the achievement gap. NS4ed invests in quality measures to ensure its innovative solutions provide exceptional student experience, comprehensive learning, and support best practices in teaching.
