06.24.25
Shifting the Lens: Expanding Educational Pathways Through EDventures
By Jane Vangsness Frisch, Vice President of Workforce, FMWF Chamber
EDventures 2025 | Educators engage in an activity during the Educator's Lab on Friday, June 20.
Discover how EDventures empowers educators to expand educational pathways and guide students toward diverse, real-world career opportunities.
For many educators, the four-year degree path has always been the gold standard. It’s what we were taught to value, how we were measured. And naturally, it’s what many teachers, parents and counselors have encouraged students to pursue.
But somewhere along the way, whether in a classroom conversation, a parent-teacher conference or a visit to a local workplace, we begin to realize: that path doesn’t fit every student. In fact, it doesn’t even serve every student.
That’s the kind of realization educators are experiencing through EDventures, a program designed to connect the dots between education and industry, and to help us recognize the range of opportunities available to today’s students.
From Bias to Belief in Students’ Unique Journeys
One educator at this year’s EDventures program shared a moment of personal reckoning: standing inside a manufacturing facility, hearing about apprenticeships that offer strong wages and meaningful, thriving careers. Her first thought?
“But we’re supposed to be encouraging college.”
And then she caught herself.
That hesitation wasn’t about judgment, it was about awareness. The kind of awareness that asks, “Why do I believe what I believe?”
It’s not easy to confront our assumptions. But it's powerful.
And that’s the gift of EDventures. It helps educators reflect on long-held narratives—and reframe them in ways that center students' strengths, evolving possibilities and aspirations.
The Power of Possibility. When We’re Willing to See It.
We have all worked with students whose strengths and passions did not align with traditional post-secondary expectations
The hands-on learner who lit up in the welding lab.
The teen who dreamed of launching a business straight out of high school.
The quiet kid who finally found their voice through an internship.
As educators explore the full spectrum of post-secondary options, and meet the individuals thriving in them, it becomes easier to guide students toward career paths that feel real, relevant and achievable.
We stop asking “what should they do?”
And start asking “what could they become?”
Small Shifts, Big Ripples
In another conversation, an educator reflected on how even her language has changed.
“I used to say ‘just’ a two-year program. Now I catch myself—because there’s no ‘just’ about it.”
It’s a subtle change, but it matters. Words shape expectations. Expectations shape outcomes.
Educators who experience EDventures talk about how it changes they way they talk with students, parents, even colleagues. It’s not about lowering the bar—it’s about widening the lens.
Bringing it Back to the Classroom and Forward to the Future
The workforce landscape is changing. While four-year degrees are still a great option for some students, the economy increasingly rewards skills, credentials and experience gained through a continuum of learning, from work-based learning and industry certifications to technical training and associate degrees.
When educators understand what is happening in the real world, what employers value, what jobs are in demand and what success looks like beyond a GPA, they are better equipped to design instruction, mentorship and encouragement that prepares every student to move forward with confidence.
That’s what programs like EDventures, the Good Jobs Challenge and Work-Based Learning are all about: building authentic, responsive pathways between education and opportunity.
Because students don’t need us to plan their future for them.
They need us to believe that their future can take many forms—and to help them explore the full range of possibilities.
Keep the Conversation Going
If you’re an educator, you don’t have to wait for a program or permission to shift your lens. Talk with a local business. Invite a guest speaker. Ask your students what excites them. And above all, keep learning.
Programs like EDventures, Ignite FMWF, Golden Path Solutions, Work-based Learning and The Pulse are designed to help you do just that—by connecting you with tools, experiences and people who are invested in helping students thrive, however they define success.
When we embrace that broader view, we don’t just see our students differently.
We help them see what’s possible.
Eager to learn more?
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