Publications Designed to be Customized & Shared
The NCTN partners with adult education, workforce, and community organizations and college systems from across the country to incubate and pilot innovations in policy, and to provide technical assistance and professional development.
Aspirations Toolkit
The Aspirations Toolkit is a set of counseling and instructional practices and tools contributed by adult educators around the country.
Change Agent
World Education’s The Change Agent provides socially relevant content, powerful student writing that inspires discussion, and ready-to-use, College and Career Readiness (CCR) aligned lesson plans – all oriented toward a multi-level audience.
College and Career Navigator Trainer Manual
A customizable guide for trainers working to help strengthen the skills of practitioners whose primary function includes providing direct students support and guidance, as well as coordinating campus and community support services. Developed for Accelerating Opportunity, a Jobs for the Future initiative.
Finding True North – Role of the Navigator
This course identifies the types of supports that adult learners need to be truly prepared for college and careers. It introduces the core functions and responsibilities of a Navigator, such as coordinating and providing services that supplement academic instruction – which have been found to aid student persistence and success. It also introduces the core competencies of effective Navigators, advising approaches and styles, and Navigator program design elements to consider. This course is a prerequisite for the facilitated Navigating Pathways to Opportunity course.
Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE & ESOL Classroom: Curriculum Guide
A curriculum guide to help adult education teachers and counselors guide adult learners through a comprehensive career planning process that promotes a full range of life skills.
Mapping Your Financial Journey: Helping Adults Plan for College
A publication designed by the NCTN in collaboration with the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) to address the financial concerns adult learners identify as the greatest barrier to college.
Mentoring Toolkit
The resources, forms, and handouts developed for and then informed by the implementation of a successful peer mentoring program. The toolkit is designed to serve as a guide for adult education programs interested in replicating our mentoring model.
Prior Learning Assessment Resources
These customizable resources were developed for faculty and staff for the Retraining the Gulf Coast Workforce through IT Pathways (GCIT) Consortium to guide their efforts in building a strong and streamlined approach to Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
The Virginia Career Coach Certification Program
This profile describes the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Career Coach Certification Program. NCTN developed the e-Learning component of this comprehensive, blended career coach certification program that is designed to be highly accessible, available as a just-in-time platform, and to provide low-cost professional development and onboarding for career coaches at scale.
Tech Tools for Coaches and Navigators
During the changing and challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 shutdowns, it’s important for coaches, navigators, and advisors reach out to students to offer support, share community resources and encourage progress towards their goals. Learn about some tech tools that coaches and navigators use to stay connected to students.