Senate committee hears proposals to expand Vermont career pathways after presenters flag falling graduation and college-continuation rates

Tom Chaney, executive director of Advance Vermont, and Carolyn Weir, executive director of the McClure Foundation, told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on Tuesday that Vermont needs better, more accessible career and education pathways to meet employers’ needs and to shore up students’ chances of completing postsecondary credentials.

The presenters pointed to state and national data showing declines in several measures of educational continuation and attainment and urged the Legislature to sustain and scale programs that link high school students to community‑college credentials and careers.

Why this matters: Committee members were shown data the presenters said come from the Agency of Education, the New England Secondary Schools Consortium and other sources indicating that Vermont set a policy goal in 2019 of 70 percent of working‑age Vermonters holding a postsecondary credential by 2025, but that 2023 figures cited in the hearing put the state at about 59 percent attainment. Presenters also said high school graduation has fallen from roughly 90 percent around 2017 to about 83 percent most recently, and that college enrollment among graduates has dropped to about 40 percent from about 54 percent in 2019.

Tom Chaney said Advance Vermont’s work focuses on giving students and the adults who advise them the information and tools to plan education and career…