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Business–education coalition urges earlier career exploration; MyFutureAZ used by 175,000 students
Summary
The Arizona Business and Education Coalition told the State Board that career exploration should begin as early as elementary school and reported that about 175,000 students and 536 schools use MyFutureAZ; the coalition emphasized partnerships with employers and community colleges to meet regional workforce needs.
The Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC) briefed the State Board of Education on K–12 career-connected learning and workforce pipelines, urging earlier career exploration for students and stronger collaboration with business and higher education.
Tracy Benson, ABEC’s president and CEO, said career exploration should begin “at every stage in a student's learning journey” and not be deferred until high school. Benson described local pilots in Yuma and Yavapai counties, partnerships with employers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Core Construction, and community-college on-ramps that develop credentials and microcredentials for immediate employment.
Benson reported that Arizona’s publicly available ECAP and pathway platform, MyFutureAZ, is used by about 175,000 students across roughly 536 schools in the state. She said the platform is free and used beyond K–12 by career centers and families, but noted a portability problem: when students use district-based email addresses, accounts and ECAP records do not always transfer seamlessly between districts, creating continuity and data-tracking challenges for mobile or justice-involved students.
Board members raised equity concerns. One member noted that students with disabilities have the lowest participation rates in many career pathways (dual enrollment, CTE and other programs) and urged ABEC to track subgroup participation and recommend accommodations. Benson acknowledged the gap and invited collaboration to improve access.
The board and presenters also discussed Perkins funding and alignment with career pathways; Benson said ABEC’s primary role is convening and supporting funding access but offered to work strategically with the department and higher-education partners to align pathways.
Benson closed by urging systemwide collaboration and systemic career-exploration planning in grades 5–8 to prepare students for future local workforce needs.
