Delaware employers are hiring, but finding qualified applicants remains a challenge. Delaware Pathways bridges that gap by connecting businesses and organizations directly with students who are building real skills in high-demand career areas.
When you partner with Delaware Pathways, you help shape the talent pipeline from the classroom to the workplace. You gain access to motivated students, influence the skills they develop, and invest in the long-term economic health of your community.
Why Partner
FOR EMPLOYERS
Build Your Talent Pipeline
FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Strengthen the Workforce
FOR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
Align Programs with Industry
The Impact of Partnership
What Your Partnership Makes Possible
In SY 2023-2024:
- 5,200 students participated in work-based learning experiences with Delaware employers
- 906 youth apprentices worked with 244 employers through Youth Apprenticeship Delaware
- 97.8% of CTE concentrators and completers graduated on time
- 22.91% of CTE students participated in a work-based learning immersion, up from 11.6% two years prior
- 74.3% of postsecondary CTE completers were employed or continuing education within six months
These outcomes are only possible because of employer and community partners who open their doors to Delaware students.
Featured Partners
Our Partners
Our business and community partners play a crucial role in preparing students for successful careers and lifelong learning. By partnering with Delaware Pathways, these businesses and organizations help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience, ensuring that our students are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in today’s dynamic workforce.
Work-Based Learning
Work-Based Learning: Where Employers and Students Connect
Work-based learning is a progressive approach to bridging the skills gap between school and high-demand careers in Delaware. Through structured employer engagement, students build on their classroom learning by developing technical and professional skills in real workplace settings.
The Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning, housed at Delaware Technical Community College, serves as the statewide intermediary connecting employers with secondary and postsecondary students. Types of work-based learning include:
- Internships and cooperative education
- Pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships
- School-based enterprises
- Clinical experiences
- Employer-hosted career exploration events
Successful work-based learning requires committed partners: state agencies, service providers, nonprofits, for-profit companies, and community-based organizations.
Ways to Get Involved
Engage with Students and Schools
Support Education and Training
Champion Workforce Innovation
Industry Sectors in Demand
Where Employer Voices Are Needed Most
- Healthcare and human services
- Information technology and digital technology
- Advanced manufacturing
- Construction and architecture
- Financial services
- Transportation and logistics
- Agriculture and natural resources
- Energy