Education via Community Collaboration

LOCAL EFFORTS STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITY AND WORKFORCE

By ANNA COWDEN

Kansas City’s collaborative education landscapeprovides ample opportunity for students of all backgrounds due to the region’s mix of public, charter and private education, advocacy groups, nonprofits and higher ed.

Pathway Financial Education, located in a stateof-the-art facility in KC’s jazz district, opened in fall 2020. This nonprofit provides accessible financial, law, business management and tax education services primarily geared toward small business owners and individuals in underresourced communities.

Similarly, Apprenti, launched by the KC Tech Council in January 2021, provides a non-traditional pipeline for tech talent in under-resourced communities to some of the region’s biggest tech employers, such as Burns & McDonnell, BARR Advisory and CertTech.

One of KC’s biggest education influencers is the Real-World Learning (RWL) initiative supported by Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. RWL invests in the future of the workforce by providing students the opportunity to explore their interests, aptitudes and skills through local industry opportunities. By 2030, the initiative hopes to see every high schooler in the region graduate with a diploma and market value assets.

The Kauffman Foundation also helps fund other innovative education efforts in the region, such as People of All Colors Succeed (POAC). Founded in 2019, POAC works to create access to job and internship opportunities for marginalized high school students.

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) partners with Blue Valley and Northland school districts to offer high school students the opportunity to gain real-life business experience and earn college credits through the program.

At all stages of education, you’ll find an impressive array of academic options here in KC.