Secretary Cardona to Open Wednesday’s 2022 Advancing Equity in Career-Connected Education Summit

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Secretary Cardona to Open Wednesday’s 2022 Advancing Equity in Career-Connected Education Summit

Virtual conference to spotlight ways to help youth and adults access quality college and career pathways

February 1, 2022

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will deliver opening remarks Wednesday at the 2022 Advancing Equity in Career-Connected Education Summit, a virtual conference bringing together hundreds of officials and external stakeholders to share ways to help youth and adults access quality career pathways.

The virtual event, hosted from noon to 4 p.m. ET by the Department’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), will be a forum to exchange research, evidence-based strategies, and innovative practices that advance equity across career-connected education. Presenters include representatives from federal, state, and local agencies, and institutions of higher education students, teachers, and researchers.

Tomorrow’s Advancing Equity summit is an important component of the Education Department’s ongoing efforts to implement Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The summit also advances the Secretary’s goals for all youth and adults to be ready for, and have meaningful access to, quality college and career pathways.

In a major address, Secretary Cardona recently highlighted the importance of making higher education more inclusive and affordable. He also stressed that students should have pathways through higher education that lead to successful careers. To achieve that, he called for reimagining the connection among p-12, higher education and the workforce. Secretary Cardona also recommended prioritizing grant programs that allow students to return to higher education or pursue career and technical education programs at any point in their lives and careers.

Among the summit highlights:

  • Noon-12:15 p.m. – Secretary Cardona will reinforce his priorities for education, announced last week, which included making higher education more inclusive and affordable, as well as ensuring pathways through higher ed that lead to successful careers.
  • 12:15–12:50 p.m. – Opening session, “The Federal Role in Driving Equity Across Career-Connected Education,” featuring a panel discussion on how the Education Department and its federal partners can support the Biden Administration’s commitment to equity across career-connected education.
  • 3-3:50 p.m. – Breakout Session 8: “Scaling Evidence-Based Student Support Services at Community Colleges,” focusing on evidence-based models for providing community college students with the support services they need to thrive.
  • 3-3:50 p.m. – Breakout Session 9: “Advancing Higher Education Access Through Second Chance Pell,” covering changes in access to Pell Grants for justice-involved individuals and promising practices from the Second Chance Pell initiative.
  • 3:50 p.m. – Closing remarks by U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal.

To register for the summit, click here. More details can be found here.