California governor Gavin Newsom (pictured) has unveiled a plan for career education that would launch digital career passports as part of a Master Plan for Career Education to strengthen career pathways, prioritise hands-on learning and real-life skills, and advance educational access and affordability.

The master plan provides a framework to respond to the complex challenges facing California’s labour market and education landscape, and prepare all learners for the ever-changing workforce, the governor’s office said in a prepared statement.

The plan, supported by proposed budget investments, will make it easier for Californians, including military veterans, to receive college credit for their real-world experience.

To help Californians better showcase their skills, the state is proposing the launch of career passports, a digital tool that combines academic records with verified experience from work, military service, training programmes and more. “This skills-based record will help shift hiring away from degree-only requirements and open up more good jobs for workers of all backgrounds,” the governor’s office revealed.

The master plan calls for a new statewide collaborative to align education, training and hiring needs, the statement said. This body will help track labour market trends, reduce duplication, build smarter workforce strategies and better support students throughout their educational careers.

Locally, the plan supports stronger regional partnerships within the state – expanding paid internships, streamlining funding and engaging employers to identify in-demand skills. The goal: create seamless, real-world pathways from the classroom to the job site.

The plan acknowledges the shifting demographics of university attendees and the changing nature of work – with automation and artificial intelligence reshaping job categories and skill requirements – and “provides flexibility to address new challenges that will emerge in the future”, the governor’s office said. The statewide effort has been led by a public-private partnership with philanthropy.

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