Pathways with Purpose Partner Toolkit

Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning is an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, with support from the Pathways & Workforce Funder Collaborative, designed to help more students connect their education to real career opportunities.

Through Pathways with Purpose, selected organizations are leading projects that expand hands-on learning, strengthen career pathways, and build closer connections between schools and employers. The initiative is intended to help students explore careers, gain practical experience, and prepare for what comes after high school.

Partners are encouraged to emphasize the following points in their outreach:

• We are proud to be one of five organizations selected for Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning.
• The initiative helps students connect classroom learning to real career opportunities.
• Our project will expand hands-on learning and strengthen connections between schools and employers.
• This work is designed to help students explore careers, gain experience, and prepare for success after high school.
• Pathways with Purpose reflects a shared commitment to creating clearer, more accessible paths to opportunity for students and communities.

Help spread the word by sharing your organization’s participation in Pathways with Purpose and the work ahead. Customize the sample posts below with your organization name, region, project focus, and links.

Follow and Tag

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: @USCCFoundation on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram

Suggested hashtag: #PathwayswithPurpose

Sample Copy:

General Announcement

We’re proud to be one of five organizations selected for the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Pathways with Purpose initiative. Through this work, we’ll help create more opportunities for students to explore careers, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for what comes next. [Link] #PathwaysWithPurpose

Community-Focused

Exciting news: [Organization Name] has been selected for Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning, a U.S. Chamber Foundation initiative helping students connect learning to real career opportunities. We’re excited to help build stronger pathways for students in [region/community]. [Link]

Project-Focused

Through Pathways with Purpose, [Organization Name] will lead work focused on [industry/sector/project focus]. We’re proud to help students in [region/community] gain practical experience, explore future careers, and build skills that matter in the real world. [Link]

Use the sample copy below in newsletters, partner updates, member emails, or other outreach.

Subject Line Options:

New Initiative Will Expand Career Opportunities for Students in [Region]

[Organization Name] Joins National Pathways with Purpose Initiative

Sample Newsletter Blurb:

[Organization Name] Selected for Pathways with Purpose Initiative

[Organization Name] is proud to be one of five organizations selected for Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning, a U.S. Chamber Foundation initiative designed to help more students connect their education to real career opportunities.

Through this initiative, we will lead work focused on [insert project focus], helping expand hands-on learning, strengthen career pathways, and build closer connections between schools and employers in [region/community]. Our goal is to help students explore career options, gain practical experience, and prepare for success after high school.

[Learn more: link]

Media outreach can help raise awareness of your organization’s participation in Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning and highlight the work ahead in your community. Partners are welcome to adapt the sample language below for local announcements and media outreach.

Included:

• Sample press release template

[Organization Name] Selected for U.S. Chamber Foundation Initiative to Help Students Prepare for In-Demand CareersOne of five organizations chosen nationwide for Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning

[CITY, STATE] — [Organization Name] has been selected as one of five organizations nationwide to participate in Pathways with Purpose Through Career-Connected Learning, a new initiative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation designed to help more students connect their education to real career opportunities and help employers build a stronger future workforce.

Chosen from nearly 200 applicants nationwide, the five selected organizations will receive grants of up to $295,000 to build stronger connections between classrooms and careers — giving students access to real employers, industry-recognized credentials, and hands-on learning in fields tied to regional hiring needs.

Through this initiative, [Organization Name] will focus on [insert local project focus] in [region/community], helping students [insert brief summary of local work: explore careers, gain hands-on experience, earn credentials, connect with employers, etc.].

“[Insert quote from local leader],” said [Name, Title].

Pathways with Purpose is designed to address a persistent challenge facing communities across the country: many employers are struggling to fill critical roles, while many students lack clear, practical connections between their education and future careers. By bringing employers and educators together from the start, the initiative helps create learning experiences that reflect real jobs, real skills, and real opportunity.

The five selected organizations are leading projects across a range of industries and regions, including skilled trades, electrical work, advanced manufacturing, health sciences, artificial intelligence, and maritime careers. Although each project is tailored to local needs, all share a common goal: helping students better understand their options, build relevant skills, and move more confidently toward education and careers with long-term potential.

In addition to funding, participating organizations will join a cohort supported by the U.S. Chamber Foundation that includes coaching, peer learning, and access to national expertise and tools. That support is intended to strengthen local work while sharing lessons that can benefit other communities across the country.

With support from the Pathways & Workforce Funder Collaborative, Pathways with Purpose reflects the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s broader commitment to helping communities create stronger connections between education and opportunity.

To learn more about Pathways with Purpose, visit uschamberfoundation.org.

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About the U.S. Chamber Foundation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation harnesses the power of business to create solutions for the good of America and the world. We anticipate, develop, and deploy solutions to challenges facing communities—today and tomorrow.

About the Pathways & Workforce Funder Collaborative

The Pathways & Workforce Funder Collaborative is a coalition of over 50 K-12, postsecondary, and workforce funders working to expand access to high-quality career pathways for youth.