The James Irvine Foundation founded ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career as a hub for innovative practice, policy and research to expand the number of education pathways that prepare students for college and career. ConnectEd will advance the role that academically rigorous career and technical education plays in reforming California high schools so that more students master the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in tomorrow’s economy. As a result, more students will graduate from high school prepared for college and a career.

ConnectEd supports the development of high school curricula that are at once academically rigorous and inclusive of the range of aspirations and learning styles of California’s diverse student population. These demanding programs, which will satisfy California’s “a to g” requirements, connect academics with today’s thriving industries and challenging career sectors, including:

• Business and finance
• Biomedical and health sciences
• Building and environmental design, engineering
• Advanced manufacturing
• Law and government
• Transportation
• Hospitality and tourism
• Communications
• Arts and entertainment
• Education and social services