New Chamber-led effort aims to better connect students to future careers

Finding a path from school to a good-paying career isn’t always straightforward. A new regional partnership hopes to make it easier.

The Cincinnati Regional Chamber has teamed up with TNTP, a national nonprofit that works to expand economic opportunity for young people, to launch the Cincinnati Career Pathways Initiative. The three-year effort will examine how students and families navigate career-connected learning and identify ways to improve access to education, training and in-demand careers.

Funding comes from Britebound, which supports career-connected learning and economic mobility efforts nationwide. Specific details weren’t made available.

“The Cincinnati Region is rich in schools, partners, and resources designed to help young people find their way into their desired careers and access the necessary skills and credentials to obtain them,” said Audrey Treasure, VP and executive director of the Chamber’s Workforce Innovation Center. “We are so pleased to partner with TNTP to improve how our broader workforce ecosystem works to support them and our employers who need them.”

Understanding the gaps

As part of the process, TNTP will lead research and community engagement to better understand where career pathways work well, where they fall short and what barriers keep some students from participating.

The organization will gather input from students, families, educators and employers to make career pathways easier to navigate and better connect young people with education, training and future careers. The findings will help paint a clearer picture of Greater Cincinnati’s career-connected learning landscape and shape recommendations for improving it.

“At TNTP, we believe every young person deserves access to clear, supported pathways to economic mobility,” said TNTP executive Chris Henderson. “Through this partnership with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber, we are building a more connected and responsive system—one that listens to families and youth and translates their experiences into real opportunities for the future.”

What’s next

The work will roll out over the next three years. The first year will focus on research and listening sessions. Community members will then help shape recommendations through co-design workshops before the partners finalize resources and implementation plans in the third year.

Along the way, students, families, schools, employers and community organizations will have opportunities to participate through interviews, focus groups, co-design sessions and feedback opportunities.

“By centering the voices of students and families, this initiative will help create a more connected system that prepares young people for success and strengthens Cincinnati’s future workforce,” said Julie Lammers, president and CEO of Britebound.