Advisory Committee
April 17, 2025; SWWC - 1420 East College Drive, Marshall MN 56258, Suite 800
LYFT Pathways Advisory Agenda/Objectives
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Introductions
9:15 –10:00 Learning from the Field: Tiger Café: Marshall
10:00 –10:45 LYFT Updates & Planning
10:45 –11:10 LYFT Priorities: FY 26 and 27
11:10 – 11:50 Identifying Gaps in Services and Support
11:50 –12:00 Closing Reflections/Upcoming Events
12:00 Lunch/Networking
Key Objectives…
- Affirm our priorities for FY26 and 27
- Identify opportunities for advancing work-based learning across the region.
- Explore our impact and identify gaps in service to all schools.
- Explore ways to support career-connected learning and ensure the sustainability of our work.
Learning from the Field
Tiger Café: Marshall Public Schools
Your Insights…
What are the takeaways that might be replicated across LYFT partnerships?
Initiatives like these…
- Make student learning relevant
- Require a “passionate leader/champion” not only at the start but ongoing
- Are more successful when there is buy-in from administration
- Teach students that failure and risk is OK
- Provide new opportunities for English Language learners
- Can help showcase local careers when tied with local business
- Benefit from use of NextUp Curriculum (SPED)
Your Insights…
How might we scale and sustain career-connected learning opportunities like these?
There are opportunities for growth/expansion of these models (i.e. student enterprises/entrepreneurship).
- Provide how to guides or manuals for easier start-up based on successful models
- Incorporate additional classes – accounting, business, etc.
- Ensure business office shares the financials with teacher/students (huge opportunity for learning)
- Create greater community connections/engagement and administrative buy-in to aid sustainability
- Support the “Passionate Leaders/Champions” through mixers/PD across multiple districts or LYFT projects
- Provide support school – by- school to identify opportunities, champions, etc.
- Help schools consider and build in sustainability plan (succession plans)
- Consider opportunities for these initiatives as regional projects (more than one school)
- Create broader awareness/outreach to improve engagement
How to keep an ongoing student enterprise fresh for new students…
- Engage in every day decisions – reviewing business costs, margins, annual plans
- Provide opportunity for students to identify new products/services within the model
- Create competitive challenges to improve business/increase revenue of prior student group
- Work on incorporating AI into the models
IMPACT GRANTS: Update
$134,000 Available in 24-25
$108,480 Awarded in 24-25
Schools Awarded
- Willmar Public School WBL
- Willmar Public School CNA
- JCC Middle School
- Tracy Area Public School
- Lac qui Parle/DWBY CDL
- Hutchinson Camps
- Canby Laser Sharp Kids
- Montevideo Fabrication & Manufacturing
- Marshall Public Schools CNA
- Southwest MN CEO
Proposals in Que
- Benson CNA- Reviewed, will be awarded after July 1st.
- SW MN CEO on behalf of all 6 CEO Programs in SW MN- pending
Inquiries
- Minneota Public School- Robotics
- Murray County Central High School- Graphic Design
25-27 LYFT Career Pathways Budget
Preferred: $2,280,000
Requested Min: $1,655,000
Actual: $742,000
NOTES:
- Reduced regional funds available for the next two years.
- State-funded opportunities are available to our region including FutureForward, CTE Teacher Licensure, CTE Teacher Induction Program, Metier, Communications/Awareness
Future Discussion…
How might we leverage and/or identify other sources of support to increase opportunities in our region?
Current/Future Priorities
Optimize School Schedules for CTE and WBL
- Collaborate with schools to develop schedules that accommodate Career and Technical Education (CTE) and work-based learning.
- Explore block or alternating schedules to provide flexibility for community partnerships.
Meet Employer Needs for Basic Skills:
- Address employer needs for basic skills such as communication, punctuality, and professionalism through targeted Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs.
- Partner with employers to teach students specific job skills while reinforcing essential soft skills.
Alignment with Perkins to Improve High School Experience:
- Ensure alignment with Perkins requirements, focusing on enhancing the high school experience through access to up-to-date equipment, resources, licensure, and program approval.
- Career-Connected Learning
- Work-based Learning
- Impact Grants
- Teacher Prep/Support
Objectives:
Establish Consistent Liaisons:
- Appoint dedicated liaisons to facilitate communication and partnerships between schools and local businesses.
- Ensure liaisons are accessible to both schools and businesses to bridge gaps in connections and capacity.
Expand Career-Connected Learning:
- Continue hosting exploration events while expanding support for ongoing career-connected learning opportunities.
- Integrate career planning into the curriculum to provide students with continuous career guidance.
- Maintain and strengthen connections with industry partners and post-secondary institutions to provide students with relevant and current learning opportunities
Priorities (FY26-27): Your Insights
Are these the right priorities? YES
- Career-Connected Learning
- Work-based Learning
- Impact Grants
- Teacher Prep/Support
What might be missing?
- Focused attention and resources for public relations/outreach
- Intentional funding strategies
- More career navigators/coordinators
What might need adjustment or more intentional focus?
- Greater support to cultivate “passionate leaders/champions” (mention of importance of career navigators/coordinators)
- Helping schools with revising student registration guides (Career Pathway Guides); may also aid scheduling conflict discussions
- Discussion/plans of how to integrate work-based learning for all students
Identifying Gaps in Services and Support
How about your organization? And what support do you provide our schools?
What are some of the ways in which you/your organization is currently supporting schools?
Your Insights…
Business/Industry Connections
- Business/Industry Tours
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare Careers
- Providing the “why” to local employers
- Helping schools connect with employers and community partners
- Sharing best practices
Student Experiences
- Job Shadows
- Job Applications
- Hosting Interns
- Employability presentations
- Internship classes/placements
- Student presentations of local opportunities
- Entrepreneurship presentations
- Student volunteer opportunities
- Attending/promoting/coordinating career events (Ignite/SW Expo/etc.)
- Specific Courses/Certifications – welding, healthcare, CDL, FACS
- Providing transportation to events
Outreach/Awareness
- Student outreach
- Teacher Takeovers (Ridgewater connecting with HS teachers/students)
Resources/Other Support
- Perkins alignment/leveraged funds
- Writing grants
- Sharing resources
- HS Faculty Prof Development
- LYFT Advisory Participation
What gaps in resources/partnerships are you seeing?
Gaps in Services and Support: Your Insights
Career Development Instruction
Mapping a career
Choosing a lifestyle as opposed to a “job”; lifestyle goals that lead to a career
District Support
Identification of CTE opportunities
Incentives/capacity to add more CTE and/or build connections
Integrating CTE into the student experience (even if not taking CTE)
Retaining designated/permanent/credentialed staff
Class sizes; schedule optimization
Student Attention
Lack of understanding of WBL as opportunity for any student
Competition for time/over-scheduled
Awareness
Economics of education
Understanding what the workforce is in communities
Decreasing volunteerism
Time for building connections in our “hurry” culture!
Blended Transitions
From HS to higher education
Cross purposes of PSEO/CIS
K-16 funding model