Building pathways to purpose: How we can empower students for an uncertain future

Key points:

One day, something clicked for Jacob Griffin’s students. Mr. Griffin, a teacher at the NAF Academy of Engineering at Southeast Raleigh High School in North Carolina, found that students who had previously been going through the motions were coming to class more engaged, more driven, and more confident about the potential futures that lay beyond high school. 

Across the country, hundreds of teachers have seen these same changes: Students who come to class excited about what they are going to achieve each and every day. 

What changed? These teachers brought work-based learning into the classroom. They were not only giving students the chance to practice skills they might use on the job in their future careers, they were connecting them to mentorships and internships. One of many examples of this important connection was one of Mr. Griffin’s students, who went on to an underwater robotics internship with a local science center.

Research routinely demonstrates that students who engage in career and technical education, or CTE, report feeling more prepared for their future careers, are more likely to pursue post-secondary education, and receive higher earnings early on in their careers. When schools partner with organizations dedicated to student and educator success, they can expand fulfilling, real-world learning experiences to far more young people.

The most powerful opportunities for students become available and accessible when multiple organizations come together to support their success. It’s something we have seen consistently through the relationships Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and NAF have built with corporate and district partners. By aligning curriculum, classroom experiences, and career exposure, these partnerships create successful pathways for students.

This is more important than ever. Today, nearly 41 percent of businesses struggle to find qualified candidates who can fill entry-level positions, especially in STEM-related fields. Emerging technologies, including AI, require a nimble workforce that can pivot and adapt. Employers find that when they hire employees with exposure to key workplace skills as early as high school, those employees are better prepared to contribute and meet early job requirements . 

Creating an effective ecosystem that supports future readiness requires collaboration. School districts offer spaces for students to engage in work-based learning. Organizations like PLTW and NAF provide meaningful, industry-aligned curriculum focused on specific career pathways. And businesses offer students connections to internships, mentorships, and real-life workplace experiences.

At Hawthorne High School’s Academy of Health Sciences, teacher Calvin Jackson has seen a total shift in how internships work. Instead of the school chasing opportunities, Jackson says “major corporations [are] coming to us for our students.” Businesses seek out these districts because they know PLTW and NAF students arrive with the skills necessary to excel from day one.

When students engage with a curriculum that mirrors the realities of the modern workplace, and when they can practice, apply, and refine those skills, they become more motivated and more confident. As reported in our most recent annual survey, 88 percent of students at our academies felt that their experiences helped them identify and build career skills, and the vast majority of students (98 percent) planned to pursue some form of post-secondary education, whether a 2- or 4-year undergraduate program or a career certification.

Through these partnerships, we are developing a resilient workforce and a new generation of leaders prepared for the challenges of an uncertain future, whatever shape it may take.

Businesses, school districts, and organizations dedicated to work-based, and career-connected learning have an opportunity and a responsibility to build systems that benefit students, strengthen communities, and power the nation’s economy for decades to come.