Explore Recent Career Counseling Successes
Through the partnership of Maryland’s local education agencies, local workforce development boards, and community colleges, the new Career Counseling Program is setting students up for career success.
Since its launch in 2023, the Career Counseling Program in Anne Arundel County has…
- Hired 40 career coaches, served 19 middle schools, 14 high schools, 6 charter and specialist schools, and supported 54,219 students.
- Introduced HITCH, a program that focuses on the county’s top five in-demand industries of healthcare, IT, transportation, construction/skilled trades, and hospitality.
- Implemented the very first Career Day hosted at Meade Middle School on October 13, 2023, which was attended by 180 eighth graders.
- Executed Pathful Connect and Explore, two platforms used in Anne Arundel schools by career coaches to prepare students for the workforce, which includes interactive tools, assessments, and videos. Students completed 6,584 assessments on the platform and spent 8,300 hours on site, creating a total of 3,890 student impressions.
- Developed a partnership program with Fort Meade Alliance called Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview and Preparation Education). In the 2024 – 2025 school year, 280 students have learned about the benefits of a security clearance and how they can set themselves up for success with the process.
Since its launch in 2023, the Career Counseling Program in Carroll County has…
Maintained business relationships for students' career development by successfully engaging with over 200 local businesses.
Implemented a successful 8-week training program for seniors, which included resume and interviewing skills; the establishment of office hours within high schools for student referrals; job shadowing opportunities for students, which were recognized as college visits.
Continued career days for middle school students, with one school planning to expand to an all-grade event.
Since its launch in 2023, the Career Counseling Program in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties have…
Partnered with the Baltimore Ravens to provide students with a curated career tour of the stadium and a Q&A session with industry professionals.
Facilitated connections between professionals from emerging industries and students by offering insights into real-world career opportunities.
Developed community business connections, which led to an on-site tour and information session for career advisors with a local audio-visual company. This was instrumental in planning an in-school, hands-on industry demonstration in a local high school where students had access to the HR manager, technical manager, and tech specialists, some of whom were school district alumni.
Leveraged resources with the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland’s Business Engagement Team to develop a resume workshop designed for students to easily access accurate information through a video presentation and resume review services.
Since its launch in 2023, the Career Counseling Program in Montgomery County has…
Hired 51 coaches, six managers, three industry engagement people, two directors, two coordinators, and several support staff, totaling around 75 people.
Developed a registered apprenticeship program in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, WorkSource Montgomery, the Maryland Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Labor—becoming the first of its kind in career coaching in the nation.
Implemented and overseen the Montgomery County Career Advising Program, (MoCo CAP)—which is designed to support nearly 90,000 students in Montgomery County in grades 6 – 12. In the first six months of implementation, more than 45,000 students were introduced to the program by MoCo CAP and MCPS staff.
Orchestrated in-person tours of 26 local colleges/universities for 3,731 ninth-grade students and their career coaches.
Grown the program substantially. As of December 2024, the program has seen 2,970 unique students served monthly and 48,155 unique students served yearly. Students have rated the session 4.3 out of 5 stars for helping them understand their next career steps (76%), and 80% of students believe they will likely work in their identified careers.
Local Connections Make a Difference in Students’ Career Futures
The Maryland Workforce Association is made up of Maryland’s 13 Local Workforce Directors, who oversee the local workforce development boards that are one of the three main partners of the Career Counseling Program. Local workforce development boards play an important role in the Career Counseling Program for many reasons, but a huge benefit is the strong connection each has with its county’s business community.
- Local workforce development boards have hired over 200 professionals who have been sent to Maryland middle and high schools to provide career counseling and guidance.
In just the first year of developing the Career Counseling Program, more than 190,000 students were reached through workforce-led career counseling services.
Maryland’s 13 local workforce development boards have direct connections with local employers and real-time labor market data. This helps ensure career counseling aligns with in-demand jobs and economic needs and provides students with industry-informed guidance instead of general career advice.