by Pat Donachie, Education Dive
Since the Great Recession, states have continuously struggled with unemployment rates and devaluation of industries vital to local economies — and Rhode Island was no exception, having experienced highest unemployment rate for seven months in 2013-2014. But now, the state has now dropped below the average in its region. Stefan Pryor, the state’s Secretary of Commerce, said a pronounced effort has been placed on workforce development, and particularly in crafting collaborative pipelines between high school, higher ed institutions and private industries. He points to the state’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School Initiative (P-TECH), in which high school students can enroll in specialized programs to take college courses that will let them graduate with a diploma and an industry-specific associate degree.
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