Founded in 1979, the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) is a national nonprofit organization that supports educators, employers, and communities in building career pathways and workforce development systems. CORD works primarily with school districts, community colleges, workforce development organizations, and state and federal agencies. Its primary focus is on STEM and technical fields.

CORD's work is organized around three core tenets:

1. Instruction that connects classroom learning to workplace application.
2. Career pathways design that creates progression from secondary to postsecondary education and into careers.
3. Industry-education collaboration to ensure programs remain aligned with workforce demand.

CORD's services are structured around its Framework for Career Pathways Alignment, which provides a roadmap for building coordinated ecosystems across education, industry, and community partners.

Specific services include:

• Employer Engagement and BILT Academy
  • Training and coaching for institutions implementing the Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model, which helps develop industry-led curriculum at higher education institutions.
• Career Pathway Development
  • Pathway mapping, program design across institutions, and development of industry-validated stackable credentials.
• Work-Based Learning Solutions
  • Development of experiential learning models, including internships and apprenticeships.
  • Employer readiness assessments and faculty support.
• Professional Development and Leadership
  • Faculty and administrator workshops, leadership academies, and employer engagement capacity-building.
  • Delivered through the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN).
• Technical Assistance
  • Needs assessments, environmental scans, asset mapping, coaching for cohorts and individual institutions, conference management, and meeting facilitation.

Beyond the BILT Academy and National Career Pathways Network, CORD also manages the Pathways to Innovation initiative.

Resources

https://www.cord.org/