Cardona: Employers should begin working with students as early as middle school That interaction should start as early as middle school, Cardona said. "There is so much work to be done to engage our workforce partners with our community colleges, with our high schools to create pathways for students," said Cardona. "The workforce partners have to be involved earlier ...You can't wait for students to graduate to be connected." Cardona made the comments during the opening session of the Education Writers Association national seminar held virtually this week. He challenged businesses to get involved. "Start sitting down with educators to help develop curriculum so that the curriculum that our students are getting as early as middle school connect to workforce needs that there are out there," Cardona said. "We have to be intentional about our collaboration to get that work done."