Career Academies empowers graduates with in-demand skills and credentials that meet the workforce needs of local businesses and strengthen Minnesota’s future talent pool.
We provide funding, coaching and training, and peer-to-peer networks that support and bring together career pathways leaders from communities to share best practices to help students succeed.
Career pathways open doors to diverse industries, allowing students to delve into many career possibilities. Working hand-in-hand with Minnesota employers, Career Academies builds tailored programs that directly address the specific needs and job opportunities within each local community.
These programs span a wide range of fields, including but not limited to:
Through Career Academies, Liz Williams collaborates with school districts, post-secondary partners, workforce, and policymakers to reimagine school systems as a catalyst for community wealth building. Liz brings to her work a focus on student voice, equitable strategic planning and purpose driven pathways for wealth building in underserved communities. Liz brings years of classroom experience in both urban and rural settings including teaching at Ch'ooshgai Community School with the Bureau of Indian Education and managing authorization of a charter school while serving as Education Outreach coordinator at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. Liz has a master's degree from the Harvard School of Education, which houses the Pathways to Prosperity Network and Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national Career Pathways partner.
Der Yang supports the strategy and leads the day-to-day execution of Career Academies. She works closely with our grantees providing the necessary support to ensure overall success from programming to evaluation. She has over a decade of experience leading enterprise programs, most recently with Ameriprise Financial. Her passion is centered on equipping individuals and communities with resources to achieve optimal success while disrupting traditional systems. Der received her bachelor’s degree from St. Catherine University and her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
