College For Every Student Launches Partnerships to Help Rural Students Become College and Career Ready

Rick Dalton, CEO of College For Every Student, Introduces Partnership Conference at the CFES Center.

Educators and business leaders gathered at the College For Every Student (CFES) Center on Thursday, December 8 to forge new college-business partnerships that will help students in the Adirondack region become college and career ready. The meeting was part of a major initiative of College For Every Student to develop and strengthen 200 college-business partnerships throughout the United States over the next 12 months.

The partnerships will help prepare underserved middle and high school students for higher education and the 21st-century workplace. Addressing 45 college admission officers, educators, and business leaders, Rick Dalton, CEO and president of CFES, said, “You can show our students clear pathways to college and career. You can offer a student the chance to see firsthand where they are headed.”

These pathways include knowledge about college and career options, information about how to pay for college, as well as direct experiences that include campus visits and workplace internships.

When CFES was founded 25 years ago, the organization focused on helping students determine their future educational goals and taking the next step to get there. Today, CFES recognizes that young people need to be prepared for college and the 21st-century workplace.

Dalton urged educators and business leaders to help students understand the kaleidoscope of higher education possibilities available to them and to help these young people take steps to participate in the 21st-century global workforce. He noted that two-thirds of the future jobs will require college. With relevant education and skills, Dalton added, people entering the workforce will be able to take advantage of leading-edge opportunities, some of them unknown—as many of the jobs of the future haven’t been invented yet.

About College For Every Student

College For Every Student (CFES) is a global leader helping low-income students become college and career ready. CFES currently supports 25,000 students through partnerships with rural and urban K-12 schools in 30 states and Ireland. (www.collegefes.org)

About CFES Brilliant Pathways

CFES Brilliant Pathways is a global leader in helping K-12 underserved students from rural and urban communities become college and career ready, giving students an opportunity to forge their own route to a bright future. For 29 years, CFES has worked closely with schools, colleges and businesses in urban and rural areas to help students become college and career ready through mentoring and by equipping them with the EssentialSkills that include perseverance, agility, goal setting, networking, teamwork and leadership (www.brilliantpathways.org)