Bridges to Opportunity: Expanding Career Pathways Through Bridge Programming in Illinois
By 2031, nearly three‑quarters of U.S. jobs are expected to require education or training beyond high school. Yet many adults remain disconnected from these pathways—about 25 million lack a high school diploma, and another 74 million have not completed postsecondary education. This disconnect limits access to family‑sustaining jobs and leaves employers struggling to find qualified talent.
Read our success story, More Than Skills: How Bridge Program Can Support Adult Learners' Occupational Mobility, in English or Spanish.
In Illinois, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and adult education providers are addressing this challenge through bridge programs that help adults build foundational skills and transition into Integrated Education and Training (IET) or postsecondary education. Bridge programs offer contextualized instruction in literacy, numeracy, and English language skills aligned to one of 16 nationally recognized career clusters, along with support services designed to reduce barriers to participation.
Although bridge programs show promise for expanding access to education and economic opportunity, more research is needed to understand how they are implemented and how they influence outcomes for adult learners.
AIR's Bridge Programming Studies
In 2023, AIR began partnering with the ICCB to explore how adults with foundational skill needs in Illinois are preparing for economic opportunity and upwardly mobile futures through bridge programming. This project includes three studies.
[The bridge program] has really been an eye opener…with all the help…in just getting our foot in the door in healthcare because a lot of us didn't think we would be sitting here right now.
- Adult learner in bridge program
- Implementation Study: Focuses on bridge program implementation and highlights promising practices and challenges reported by bridge program providers. Using multiple perspectives on individuals’ experiences in bridge programs in the state, this study shares insights from focus groups conducted with participating adult learners as well as interviews with adult education instructors and administrators.
- Spatial Study: Provides insights into where bridge courses are offered, where learners reside, and how far they travel to participate. By mapping student and course locations, this study aims to inform decisions about where to expand bridge programming, how to reduce geographic barriers, and what types of support can help learners benefit from these opportunities, regardless of where they live.
- Impact Study: Leverages anonymized data on adult learners and programs provided by ICCB. Using a quasi-experimental propensity score matching design, this study examines the impact of participating in bridge programming on learners’ outcomes, including on:
- Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain;
- Enrollment in IET; and
- Enrollment in postsecondary education.
The findings offer data-driven insights to ICCB leadership and other state leaders on the value of implementing bridge programs in adult education.
