Greater Cleveland Career Consortium holds annual convening, bringing together partners across sectors

Published May 26, 2023 by Greater Cleveland Career Consortium

CLEVELAND (May 17, 2023) – The Greater Cleveland Career Consortium (GCCC) hosted over 140 representatives from approximately 40 organizations across the education, nonprofit, industry, philanthropic, and public sectors for the initiative’s first annual convening.

The GCCC, launched in March 2022, is a collective impact organization focused on creating a regionalized career pathway system that connects organizations across sectors to help every student in Greater Cleveland design a career plan that aligns with their interests and skills. The GCCC partners with school districts to include a Planning and Career Exploration (PACE) curriculum for all 6th-12th grade students during the school day, and connects employers with local school districts, students, and families to help build our regional workforce.

“The GCCC is excited to support our students’ career exploration and planning in the upcoming school year and our employers’ ability to grow a diverse talent pipeline,” said Autumn Russell, GCCC’s Executive Director. “This convening allows us to celebrate the progress we have collectively made over the past year and gives our partners the space to connect with one another to determine how we can strengthen collaborations and utilize the incredible resources that exist in Greater Cleveland.”

PACE was launched in Cleveland Metropolitan School District in November 2021, and over the next two years will be rolled out into ten additional first-ring districts. This convening offered the first opportunity for participating school districts to engage with industry and intermediary partners, and youth-serving nonprofits.

“GCCC’s Spring Convening is an exciting step, as our first-ring school districts prepare to implement PACE over the next two years,” said Bill Wagner, Co-Director of the First Ring Schools Collaborative at the Education Service Center of Northeast Ohio and member of GCCC’s Leadership Council. “Our districts have been preparing over the last few months for this rollout, and today’s convening is preparing everyone so that they can hit the ground running in the fall.”

The convening’s sessions included a GCCC progress update, brainstorming and collaboration workshops, PACE content overviews, training for GCCC’s curriculum and data platforms, and networking opportunities.

For more information, visit www.greaterclecc.org.