Tapping the Power of Health Pathways in Early College High Schools

Key Takeaways

  • The health care industry faces serious staffing issues, and Early College is a promising workforce development intervention, doubling the likelihood that students enroll and persist in college
  • Early College programs that are academically robust, preparing students for selective clinical programs and allowing students to earn an associate degree in high school, will create strong health pathways

In a complementary discussion paper, we suggest Massachusetts can meet a growing need for skilled workers by weaving more robust career pathways into Early College programs. To demonstrate what this approach might look like in practical terms, MassINC partnered with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education to produce this blueprint for Early College health pathways.

Drawn from conversations with more than two dozen leaders in health care, higher education, Early College, and workforce development, this report presents strategies to build pathways that allow students to explore their interests in clinical professions and provide a firmer and faster course through postsecondary studies and into medicine, nursing, and allied health careers.