- Early Exploration
- Non-Linear Pathways
- Employers
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- Policymakers
Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas
Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas integrates career and technical education and adult basic skills instruction for specific career pathways.
Program Description:
Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas (AO-K) provides career and technical education alongside adult basic skills instruction to help learners complete specific career pathways. A partnership between the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Department of Commerce, the program allows adult learners to complete short-term certificate programs leading to industry-recognized credentials and immediate jobs.
Career pathways are approved by career and technical education programs at 17 community and technical colleges across the state. Courses are team-taught with a basic skills instructor. Each pathway requires at least 12 credit hours in a high-demand and high-wage occupation. Colleges provide support services such as advising, coaching, and assistance with connecting to community resources. In addition to Kansas, the Accelerating Opportunity program has been implemented in seven other states: Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas (AO-K)
Impact:
The Board of Regents published its approved credential list in February 2026. This list enables Kansas adults to find short-term certificate programs aligned to labor market needs in fields that pay family-sustaining wages.
An evaluation of the program found that AO-K learners were significantly less likely to drop out and more likely to continue through their second year than the comparison group. The second quarter after finishing the program, over 76 percent of AO-K learners were employed compared to under 49 percent of peers. AO-K learners also earned more technical credits and industry-valued credits and were less likely to fail courses compared to a comparison group. The Kansas state legislature has continued to provide funds to support this effort based on early indicators of program success.
76%
of AO-K learners employed
Population Served:
Adult learners interested in high-demand and high-wage occupations in Kansas.
Learn more here.
Page last updated in August 2026.
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