Steel Dynamics Inc., a local manufacturing company, wanted student help recruiting young women and candidates from different ethnic groups that don鈥檛 often seek manufacturing jobs.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e kind of expanding their outreach,鈥� Gebhard told a classroom of juniors and seniors, all deciding between eight business and non-profit project challenges to spend the spring working on. They鈥檙e kind of rebuilding recruitment from the ground up鈥o your job is to create some marketing around that.鈥�

But Gebhard wanted students to consider another level, a more personal one, as they made their choice, telling them to carefully pick the project that fits a passion or teaches them a key skill toward a career goal. 

That鈥檚 the overall mission of Amp Lab, after all. Still in its infancy, the school launched in 2022 with a very different goal from a typical high school: 

Developing an entrepreneurial mindset that applies across multiple careers or businesses, especially companies they might start themselves. 

Though many high schools boast of creating good work opportunities for students, few have overcome the schedule and transportation hurdles to place students in internships, even when companies want them. Only about 6% of high school students nationally have the chance to do an internship or apprenticeship, the best available estimates show.

Amp Lab鈥檚 model is built around giving every student the opportunity to work with local businesses, going beyond even some of the more ambitious schools in the country. The school also focuses on building mastery of personal skills 鈥� including insight, persistence, problem solving, turning problems into opportunities 鈥� alongside broad business skills such as financial management, legal analysis, marketing, sales and operations.

鈥淎lways think of it this way: How does this matter to you 10 years from now?鈥� Gebhard told students. 鈥淟ike, what is this going to do for you 10 years from now?鈥�

Amp Lab doesn鈥檛 look or feel like a typical high school. For starters, its full name is Amp Lab at , referring to the massive 38-acre factory complex that was a General Electric motor plant for decades before being renovated and re-opening as home to the school and several area businesses in 2022.

Open to high school juniors and seniors from across the Ft. Wayne Community Schools 鈥� half of its 400 students coming in the morning and half coming in the afternoon 鈥� Amp Lab is officially a career technical school. But it doesn鈥檛 teach the auto repair, construction and plumbing skills offered at typical career training centers.

Its only focus is entrepreneurship. 

鈥淚n most traditional CTE centers, you’ve got a bunch of individual programs that are all separate,鈥� said founding Principal Riley Johnson. 鈥淲hat we chose to do here was kind of flip that equation. Every kid that comes to Amp Lab is in the entrepreneurship pathway, and their connection to industry skill is across all potential career clusters.鈥�

鈥淲e look at entrepreneurship as a mindset and a tool set that a kid can apply, whether they’re in banking or veterinary science or cosmetology.鈥�

Work-based learning is a key part of the model. so Amp Lab has students engage with businesses in the spring and in the fall using three different methods:

• Every junior takes on at least one group project for a local business, such as the one Gebhart described, that they do mostly at school with some visits to the company.
• Students can choose to start their own business by developing a product and a marketing plan. They either make it themselves or hire a company to make it, and then sell it.
• About half do a traditional internship working at a local company about 10 to 15 hours a week.

鈥淥ur goal is that, in some form or fashion, every kid gets an external experience, but we’re not there yet,鈥� Riley said.

Regardless of the approach, teachers evaluate how student skills are growing and weigh the growth of students鈥� mindset as much as teachers in traditional high schools weigh progress in math and English. That progress is all reported to students, parents and colleges on an innovative but still-developing supplement to traditional report cards called a Mastery Learning Record that shows how well students are moving toward mastering a skill, rather than just giving them an A-F grade at the end of a quarter.

Amp Lab is one of 40 schools nationally testing the Learning Record as it is refined.

How the Learning Record works with those schools will help inform an effort by six states and others to test, measure and report student progress on so-called 鈥渄urable skills,鈥� the first being collaboration, communication and critical thinking. Amp Lab is just one data point as new report cards are developed, but the school was recently highlighted by the non-profit XQ Institute for embracing an innovation it wants high schools to adopt nationally.

鈥淭hese competencies aren鈥檛 easy to convey in a conventional report card or transcript,鈥� XQ wrote in its recent report, The Future Is High School, calling the learning record 鈥渇ar more detailed and nuanced.鈥�

鈥淭he Amp Lab record documents exactly which competencies students have mastered, such as intuitive agility, collaborative intelligence, and 鈥� yes 鈥� entrepreneurial spirit,鈥� XQ added.

The work-based 鈥渃hallenges,鈥� as the school calls them, can look different for every student.

When Amp Lab launched, the school had to seek out businesses willing to work with students. on these projects. Now, it has more applications than it needs, and can tell businesses to refine them and apply again later. The goal isn鈥檛 just to invent a project for students, but have them work on a problem the business is truly facing and have the work matter.

This spring, students are picking from eight businesses and non-profits, including: the Steel Dynamics project; designing and testing a part for another manufacturer; helping a local nonprofit spread messages aimed at improving maternal health; designing a plan to encourage vegetable gardening in a low-income neighborhood; or designing and creating murals to promote a historic arena in the city.

Sometimes the projects line up well with student interests. Senior Tyreece Menifee Jr., who wants to be both a barber and fashion designer, worked last year designing costumes and marketing for a production of A Christmas Carol by the Ft. Wayne Youth Theater.

He then created his own mini business by designing a hooded sweatshirt 鈥� picking the fabric, background design and the lettering for it 鈥� and ordering a batch of 20 from a Pakistani company online. He鈥檚 now selling the hoodies for $90 on a website he created.

鈥淚’ve learned a lot of stuff here, just being here,鈥� Menifee said. 鈥淚 feel like the environment changes your mindset. You get focused on what you need to do.鈥�

Senior Ruby Campbell-Carpenter used her interest in animals to create a pet food business called Tailored Bites. She talked with a veterinary clinic, the county health department and a meat company that school staff helped her connect with, to create a chicken based dog food 鈥� one that passed taste tests of several dogs 鈥� that she and a classmate then sold at a farmers market.

She also interned at a veterinary office through the school last spring, which turned into a part-time job last summer and helped confirm her plans to become a vet.

鈥淎mp Lab is very growth oriented,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey grade you based on if you’re growing, if you’re learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淎mp Lab also has so many connections, compared to your typical high school. They honestly have connections to pretty much every business.鈥�

Sometimes the school finds internships with businesses or nonprofits right at the Electric Works complex, letting students work without needing transportation from the school.

Those include a health clinic, an advertising agency, a manufacturer of steel decking and the nonprofit REFINERY 鈥� Robotics Education, Fabrication and Innovation Nexus: Entrepreneurship for Rising Youth 鈥� a giant open maker space that robotics teams from local high schools can use as a workshop. It also serves as a central bulk purchaser for those teams.

Interns like senior Alfy Krider, a member of the robotics team of Northrop High School where she goes to class every morning, spends her afternoon Amp Lab time organizing equipment and the space for teams to test their robots, even 3D printing parts or ordering parts for them.聽

She doesn鈥檛 mind helping competitors as his job.

鈥淩obotics really promotes gracious professionalism, which is helping out other teams as much as you can,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s just so much of a culture of helping everyone out, because when you need help, they’ll be there for you.鈥�

Along with letting Krider immerse herself in the business of robotics, the company benefits hugely from student help.

鈥淭hey’ve been instrumental in getting everything, honestly, built up,鈥� said Briana Smedberg, vice president of BioNanomics, the nonprofit in charge of the space, before rattling off a list of jobs interns accomplished. 鈥淭he students built all of this鈥�

Johnson said internships like this 鈥� that let students interact with others and fill a professional role 鈥� matter as much as any class or credential.

鈥淭he resume portfolio is as powerful of a tool as anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e found having something like this as a door opener and as a networking tool is just as valuable as as any other currency.鈥�

鈥淚n high school, a lot of students will be like, 鈥極h, what happens if they don’t like this aspect of me?鈥� said Sheikh Ali, 17, a student at Fridley High School just north of Minneapolis. 鈥淲hat happens if I’m not intelligent enough for this role? What happens if I can’t communicate enough?鈥�

On a whim, Sheikh Ali applied to Genesys Works, one of the country鈥檚 largest high school internship programs, and was accepted. Her confidence grew as she learned communication and technical skills at the national organization鈥檚 summer training sessions.

Now, just a few months later, she鈥檚 thriving as an intern at headquarters of the SPS Commerce software company in downtown Minneapolis, working on the technology helpdesk aiding employees with computer and other device issues. 

鈥淲hen I saw the fruits of my labor, I was stunned,鈥� she said.

The Genesys Works non-profit has been working with students like Sheikh Ali since launching in Houston in 2002 with a goal of connecting high school students to paid internships that go beyond typical afterschool jobs and can start them on paths to fulfilling careers, often in the聽white collar world.聽

Such internships are rare despite all the lofty talk nationwide about creating more work-based learning opportunities for students that let them try out different fields and can lead to good-paying careers. Fewer than five percent of high schoolers have a chance to do an internship or apprenticeship before graduating, according to federal data and surveys by the American Student Assistance nonprofit.

But Genesys Works has found a formula that gives companies 鈥� not just nervous teens 鈥� the structure and confidence to succeed with internships. Genesys Works has placed nearly 1,100 students in internships at 202 companies in eight metropolitan areas this school year: Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, San Francisco, Tulsa and Washington, D.C.

While many work in small, local companies, interns are also landing spots at corporate giants like Target, Accenture, 3M and Medtronic, often in the information technology, marketing or human resources departments. Students typically work 15 to 20 hours a week their senior year for $14 to $18 an hour, depending on the market. 

鈥淲e’re focused on building careers and building pathways for students and giving them access to what it looks like to work in a corporate environment and to be part of a team,鈥� said Mandy Hildenbrand, Genesys Works chief services officer.

Helping students find out if a career is right for them or what skills and certifications they should pursue in college is incredibly meaningful to success. 

鈥淲e want to make sure that we’re putting students in those types of roles,鈥� Hildenbrand said.

Genesys Works鈥� model, in which the non-profit acts like a hiring and staffing agency, is key in clearing a major block to high school internships nationally 鈥� coaxing companies wary of hiring high school students to take the leap. 

Genesys Works takes on duties that companies often don鈥檛 want to bother with, removing administrative burdens that scare many employers away. These include recruiting students and reviewing applications, pairing students with mentors, working with schools so students have time to work and acting as students鈥� employer of record so interns are on Genesys Works鈥� payroll and covered by the nonprofit鈥檚 insurance.

Genesys Works also adds another step that only a few internship programs do well 鈥� training students before sending them to companies. Genesys Works has each student complete an eight-week summer training program of professional conduct and some technical skills, including use of Microsoft Office applications.

In return, companies pay Genesys Works about twice the students鈥� hourly wages.

鈥淓verybody wants work-based learning, but it’s very difficult to figure out how to do it,鈥� said Hildenbrand. 鈥淲e take the heavy lifting off of the schools and off of the corporate partners.鈥�

Allison Barmann, executive director of Genesys Works in Minneapolis, the city with the most interns in the program, said the support structure makes a big difference to employers.

鈥淪ometimes we’ll talk to corporate partners who are like, 鈥極h, well, we’ve never had a high school internship before. Like, that’s too much work鈥�,鈥� Barmann said. 鈥淣o, no, we’re doing the hard part for you. You just have to find some work for these young people to do and find a good supervisor to help challenge them.鈥�

Peggy Krendl, a senior managing partner of the Fortune 500 company Accenture, agreed that Genesys Works鈥� model makes it much easier for a company that doesn鈥檛 have youth training programs or staff to hire younger, short-term employees. Companies also rarely have relationships with school districts that allow students to miss class to work.

Accenture has taken on the second-most interns through Genesys Works nationally, behind only medical technology giant Medtronic. 

鈥淲e don’t have to worry about that at all, so it’s an entire infrastructure and onboarding support network that we get working with Genesys Works,鈥� said Krendl.

The summer training is a big part of that support, especially for teenagers who have never held a professional job. Students spend eight weeks in the summer between junior and senior year learning six bundles of skills 鈥� communication, time and project management, work ethic and professionalism, problem solving and critical thinking, collaboration and teamwork, and initiative and independent work. 

Students are then evaluated three times over the summer on their progress to determine their 鈥渨orkforce readiness.鈥� Students are rated as to how well and often they show traits including punctuality, taking feedback well, willingness to learn and for setting plans with timelines for completing tasks.

Students are even rated on how well they stay attentive and participate in online sessions.

鈥淲e have to keep you guys engaged and focused,鈥� instructor Ravin Boihr told students at a training session last summer. 鈥淒uring your internships, you may be on screen four hours a day, the same way you are here, and your supervisor is counting on you to remain active and engaged in getting your work completed.鈥�

She stressed: 鈥淲e have to make sure that we confidently are placing you guys to them.鈥�

Lauren Loeffler, who manages interns for SPS, said students may come without specific skills, but those that make it through Genesys Works hiring process always view the job as part of building a career and want to do well. She said she sees few of the problems 鈥� behavior, tardiness, lack of work ethic 鈥� some employers might imagine in hiring students this young.

鈥淭he earlier they can kind of be exposed to the workforce, the farther ahead they’re going to be when it comes time to find that full time job,鈥� Loeffler said. 鈥淭o answer some questions that might scare future employers 鈥� like they kind of make this story up in their head 鈥� I have never seen a behavior issue. I have never seen students blatantly doing a bad job because they don’t care, they don’t like it. They are extremely motivated to do a good job.鈥�

Land O鈥� Lakes, the dairy and agricultural products company based just outside Minneapolis, is so invested in the program that it takes about a dozen interns from Genesys Works each year. The interns, as at most companies, don鈥檛 work directly with the core products and services 鈥� they don鈥檛 actually make the butter at your local grocery store 鈥� but in information technology, security or other support services.

Luke Kocon, telecommunications manager for Land O鈥� Lakes, has two interns a year in his department, typically helping manage distribution of computers and phones to employees.

Kocon said the first few weeks are a big adjustment as students acclimate to a new culture and expectations, but they learn quickly.

鈥淚t’s mutually beneficial,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here’s definitely a ramp up period, right? But my two interns that are with us right now are delivering just as any member of my team.鈥�

鈥淭hey usually surprise me with how much they can get done and how quickly they adjust to the workflows,鈥� he added.

Salim Kadi, a senior at Blaine High School north of the city, said his internship at Land O鈥� Lakes is an adjustment from a previous job he had as a cashier at Target, which was more focused on rapid-fire work with customers than handling several projects on a deadline. While his tasks are not an exact match for his hopes of working in computer science after college, he is excited for the rest of this year.

鈥淚t helps me gain experience and (understand) how the corporate world works,鈥� Kadi said. 鈥淓ven if I don’t get a position that’s like my career, I still learn how to be more professional in a corporate setting. I can also learn how to network and talk to other people too. And I can still ask about things that I want to learn about, that’s going to align with my future career.鈥�

Land O鈥� Lakes, like many other companies in the program, often keeps interns even after their senior year as they move on to college. Yareni Flores, now pursuing an associates degree at Century College, remains with Land O鈥� Lakes鈥� information technology department two years after finishing her senior year in the internship.

Flores, 18, said the internship taught her a lot of professional skills.

鈥淏ack in high school, you wouldn’t really see me being here because I did not like talking to people,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淚t was my first ever job too, so I learned how to manage my time more, and how to be more responsible.鈥�

Sheikh Ali, like Flores, said the internship can really help students grow. So she urged students to overcome their hesitancy and make the leap.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that you really have to push for,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou really have to just try hard.I feel like having courage to pursue Genesys works is something that’s really needed.鈥�

As if that weren鈥檛 enough to keep her busy, she worked with legislators to co-write three climate bills for the Indiana General Assembly, raised $87,000 to support student journalism programs as director of , and helped secure winning votes for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in a critical municipal race.

It鈥檚 the kind of r茅sum茅 you鈥檇 expect from someone twice her age. Yet when you ask how Maiga got here, she doesn鈥檛 talk about awards or titles鈥攕he credits her high school.

Maiga is a graduate of Indiana-based , designed in partnership with , a nonprofit working to modernize the high school experience. In 2016, only 12 graduates from Indianapolis Public Schools enrolled at Purdue University, the state鈥檚 flagship postsecondary institution. Determined to change course, the community came together to create PPHS, a project-based, STEM-focused high school serving students citywide.

In its first graduating cohort, the school single-handedly tripled the number of Indianapolis public high school graduates entering the university. The network of now three schools has become a statewide model helping to shape policy across Indiana. 

It鈥檚 that flexible, out-of-the-classroom thinking that defined Maiga鈥檚 four years at PPHS鈥檚 Englewood campus. The school gave her the opportunity to discover her passions with interest-driven classes and meaningful internships, shaping her skills and, ultimately, helping her chart her future.

One of those opportunities was the , a pitch competition that gives local high school students a chance to develop their entrepreneurial skills while learning from business leaders and investors. Magia, who had honed her professional skills at PPHS, was well prepared. She and her Compleyes.ai co-founder walked away with first place鈥攁nd a $25,000 check.

鈥淗igh school was so important to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like if you talk to a traditional high school student, they probably don鈥檛 feel heard enough in educational decisions鈥攖hat鈥檚 pretty different when you talk to students at my school.鈥�

Instead of taking four years of English classes, Maiga interned with a legal organization where she practiced the same reading and writing skills鈥攑erhaps with even more rigor鈥攚hile gaining immersive, practical experience and class credit.

鈥淧eople think internships are in addition to what you do in the classroom, like joining a sports team or an extracurricular, but they鈥檙e not,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n my internship, I did essentially the same things I did in a lot of my English classes, but it was more technical and advanced.鈥�

Work-based learning let Maiga imagine a career on her own terms鈥攁nd redefine what success meant along the way. Growing up, she鈥檇 always loved the humanities, but her family鈥攚ho immigrated from West Africa when she was in fifth grade鈥攙alued more conventional, financially secure paths. 鈥淭hese roles didn鈥檛 fit the traditional idea my family had of a successful career.鈥� 

That perspective began to shift during Maiga鈥檚 time at Purdue Polytechnic. Through hands-on learning and exposure to a variety of industries, she began to see that success had many definitions, opening her eyes to the range of possibilities after graduation. 鈥淚t was really important because it showed me there are different career paths where you can have a lot of impact.鈥�

The experience didn鈥檛 just change Maiga鈥檚 mindset 鈥� it also helped bridge a gap between her and her family. 鈥淭hat was the one thing standing between us,鈥� she said. By seeing the kinds of professional paths Maiga could pursue, her parents began to understand that her interests in the humanities could lead to real, fulfilling work. 鈥淢y experience at PPHS helped us get closer.鈥�

Maiga鈥檚 story is a testament to what鈥檚 possible when schools give students room to explore, fail, and redefine success for themselves. For her, work-based learning wasn鈥檛 just an academic exercise鈥攊t was an invitation to connect her passions to real-world change. 

Today, Maiga continues to lead the charge at as the company evolves and grows while also supporting Mayor Hogsett as an intern. And, of course, she is beginning her next chapter at Cornell.

As she looks ahead at her future and future generations, Maiga hopes more students get the same chance to learn on their own terms. She believes that when young people are empowered to explore their passions, they not only transform their own lives but also shape the communities around them. For Maiga, the journey is only beginning鈥攁nd she鈥檚 determined to make sure others can start theirs, too.

Disclosure: is a financial supporter of 社区黑料.

Their public school, in Oakland, California, prioritizes project-based learning to equip its students with tangible skills and real-world experience that can help them succeed in college and beyond. Extended learning opportunities, ranging from site visits to internships, aren鈥檛 extracurriculars 鈥� they are a cornerstone of the curriculum.

Students, parents, and academic leaders place tremendous value on such opportunities. Nearly nationwide express interest in participation in work-based learning. In fact, a found that teens consider 鈥渟kills for future employment鈥� the most important priority in their education.

High-quality work-based learning opens doors for students to discover a wide variety of careers, gain meaningful, career-connected experience, and graduate not just with a diploma but with a clear sense of direction and the concrete skills to match. And yet offer formal work-based learning programs.聽

Founded in 2019, Latitude is quickly proving what鈥檚 possible when students step outside the classroom and into real-world learning. It accelerates students鈥� paths to success, outperforming state and national trends. About 70% of Latitude鈥檚 seniors feel ready for life after graduation 鈥� nearly double the national share of students who remain unclear about their career expectations, a figure that has doubled in the past decade.

Jesus鈥� and Alexis鈥� journeys are a prime example of how work-based learning can shape a student鈥檚 future. During their first year at Latitude, a worksite visit sparked an unexpected passion for aviation in the two teens. 鈥淚 really just fell in love as soon as I walked into the hangar,鈥� Jesus recalls. When the time came to decide on senior-year internships, both students chose Wingler鈥檚 Aviation at Hayward Executive Airport, where they became immersed in everything from airplane mechanics to aerodynamics. Now Jesus attends the College of Alameda, where he is pursuing a license to become an aviation mechanic. Alexis, for his part, is pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 in aviation from San Jose State University. By graduation, he plans to be a fully licensed pilot.

I sat down with both students to hear firsthand about their experience and understand the impact of work-based learning on high school students.

Before you started your internship with Latitude, what were you thinking about the future?

Jesus: I was torn between going to college, which I wasn鈥檛 really interested in, or pursuing a trade, which I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to be someone in the trades: welding, plumbing, something like that. But I wasn鈥檛 100% sure.

Alexis: I had decided I wasn鈥檛 going to go to college. I was committed to going to trade school, joining a union, and going from there.

What was it about Latitude that attracted you?

Jesus: I was never really big on classrooms. I didn鈥檛 love learning from books. I really liked that Latitude took a hands-on approach. It opened my eyes. I really valued working on projects, so that鈥檚 why I chose it. I knew “This is the school for me.鈥�

At Latitude, you were exposed to a range of professions before your teachers worked with you to define your path and select your internship with Wingler鈥檚 Aviation. Tell me about those first few days as interns.

Jesus: At first, we didn鈥檛 know anything 鈥� it鈥檚 an airplane!

Alexis: There was definitely a 鈥渨ow鈥� factor. I had wanted to stick to something so general, like plumbing, but now I was going to work on airplanes. It opened my mind. It鈥檚 a whole different world that not many high schoolers get to explore.

How did the journey unfold from those early days?

Jesus: The first month or two, it was just us taking it all in and learning from our mentor, Mr. Sunil. We started with basics: changing brakes and tires, doing inspections, working on panels. We observed and followed instructions, doing the work alongside them as they showed us all the tips and tricks. Eventually, we started to take on bigger projects ourselves and mentors would just check in on us. By the third or fourth month, we got the hang of it. We learned how to read tail numbers, how to start and control a plane. We鈥檝e learned a lot. By the end, we knew the lingo and could do inspections and repairs on our own. 

On site, you learned how to fix a plane, but also how to work with others, communicate in the workplace, and problem-solve. What are some of those professional skills you鈥檝e developed?

Jesus: Troubleshooting, for sure. Knowing when something鈥檚 not right and trying a different tool or method. That applies to a lot in life. We鈥檝e also met certified flight Instructors and private pilots at the flight school across from our shop. They鈥檙e very professional, and I鈥檝e learned a lot about professionalism just watching and interacting with them.

Alexis: Yeah, business people come by to sell products or deliver a plane, and being around them, seeing how they act, it teaches you the level of professionalism needed in business.

Do you feel more prepared for life after school now?

Alexis: Yeah, I have a good understanding of what I want to do. I鈥檝e learned a lot. I鈥檝e grown as a person.

Jesus: Definitely. I wasn鈥檛 very serious in ninth grade, and my grades reflected that. Coming from middle school, I was still adjusting. But I鈥檝e made a huge change. I鈥檝e matured. I鈥檝e seen the importance of putting in time and effort鈥攊t shows in everything. 

Looking back, what would you say is the biggest takeaway your work-based learning experience has given you?

Jesus: A straight path in life. I have clarity. I know like what’s next, you know? I have my goals set.

Alexis: It opened a lot of doors. I didn’t really have my mind set on what I wanted to do. But through the internship, I figured out what I wanted to do with life.

So what is next? What happens after graduation?

Jesus: I鈥檓 studying aviation at the College of Alameda, then pursuing a license to become an aviation mechanic. My internship changed how I viewed college. I realized there鈥檚 a lot you need to know, and it鈥檚 good to get hands-on learning because then, when you study the book, you can make the comparison. You get the theory in school and the practice at work.

Alexis: I’m also pursuing a career in aviation, but I chose the pilot path. I’m going to San Jose to earn my bachelor鈥檚 in aviation and then I鈥檒l get my license before graduating. I got a full ride. Eventually, I want to leave the state to do a course in avionics and open an electrical shop.

Your time at Latitude clearly played an important role. Based on your journey, what do you think the purpose of high school is?

Jesus: That’s a big question. I like it! High school is a place where you learn who you are and figure out what you want to do. It goes fast. I鈥檝e changed a lot since freshman year. It鈥檚 about preparing to become an adult.

Alexis: I agree. High school is about getting a better understanding of yourself and who you are as a person. It鈥檚 about getting out of your comfort zone and meeting new people. It鈥檚 important to get out of your bubble to grow. That’s the whole point of high school. 

Disclosure: supports 社区黑料’s focus on the ‘Future of High School.’

This summer, Lodi, California, high schoolers will again head to local wineries to learn the business through a combination of hands-on internships and college classes. The first-of-its-kind initiative is the result of a growing partnership among the district, Delta College, the Lodi Winegrape Commission and the nonprofit San Joaquin A+.聽

社区黑料 recently partnered with the Progressive Policy Institute for an inside look at the “Growing Futures” Initiative and how it aims to promote a more inclusive agriculture industry. 

In the replay below, you鈥檒l hear from experts Stuart Spencer, Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Kai Kung, CEO of San Joaquin A+, Kathy Stonum, Winemaker at Stonum Vineyards and Francesca Stonum, Operations Manager at Stonum Vineyards.

Some of our recent coverage of trends in career preparation:

• How a California Wine Region Is 鈥楪rowing Futures鈥� By Turning Vineyards Into State-of-the-Art Classrooms

• Why Wait to Graduate? Georgia Apprentices Start Training as Sophomores

• How Rhode Island Is Tapping Career & Technical Ed to Help Every Student Succeed

• LISTEN 鈥� Beyond 鈥楥ollege or Bust鈥�: Apprenticeship as a Path to Opportunity

• Who You Know: Social Capital is Key for First-Gen Students鈥� Career Success

Apprenticeships are booming as high schools and private industry recognize the need for training students for roles in the workforce of the future and for offering career pathways that don’t necessarily rely on a bachelor’s degree.

社区黑料 recently partnered with the Progressive Policy Institute on a new installment of the “New Skills for a New Economy” webinar series, which focused on solutions needed to ensure the U.S. education and workforce systems adapt to meet current workforce needs.

In the replay below, you鈥檒l hear from experts, you鈥檒l hear from experts Vanessa Bennett of Jobs for the Future; Lateefah Durant of CityWorks D.C.; Jess Kostelnik, senior policy adviser to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis; and Seth Lentz, executive director of the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. Watch the full conversation:

Some of our recent coverage of trends in career preparation:

• Indianapolis High School Carves Time Away from Class for Internships for All
  
• Why Wait to Graduate? Georgia Apprentices Start Training as Sophomores
  
• How Rhode Island Is Tapping Career & Technical Ed to Help Every Student Succeed
  
• LISTEN 鈥� Beyond 鈥楥ollege or Bust鈥�: Apprenticeship as a Path to Opportunity
  
• Who You Know: Social Capital is Key for First-Gen Students鈥� Career Success

The programs, in which students are promised free college tuition if they graduate high school, have long been considered a silver bullet against the soaring tuition and loan debt blocking many young people, particularly those who are low-income, from earning degrees and finding fulfilling careers.

But in the last few years, college promise programs from Kalamazoo to New Haven, Buffalo, Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, have realized that paying tuition alone doesn鈥檛 always achieve the ultimate goal of making lives better. So they have added staff and built partnerships with business to start internship, mentorship and apprentice programs that give 鈥減romise scholars鈥� a start on career paths.

Further highlighting the shift, college promise advocates nationally will hold their fourth Nov. 8 and 9 at the University of Tennessee. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and First Lady Jill Biden will speak at the event, whose major topics include 鈥淓mpowering Career Exploration and Pathway Discovery鈥� and聽鈥淏uilding the Promise Pipeline of Workers.鈥�

鈥淲e’re quick to say 鈥楪o to college, get your degree,鈥� but you don’t have that follow up piece of what do you do after that?鈥� said Jade Scott, who works with the Detroit Promise through the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 鈥淪o many students get lost in the shuffle, like 鈥業鈥檓 done with my degree, what do I do now? And this is where we really come in.鈥�

鈥淣ow, we鈥檙e talking about how we get them employed,鈥� Scott added. 鈥淲hat are we doing to support you, as you make that journey from these college classes into an actual career that you genuinely enjoy, or that’s making you money, or that’s offering you a sustaining lifestyle?鈥澛�

Detroit Promise, with the help of the chamber, gave 450 students work experiences such as internships or job shadowing in the 2022-23 school year, Scott said.

The Kalamazoo Promise, perhaps the best-known promise program in the nation, considers the internship program it launched in 2022 so important it calls it 鈥淗igher Promise.鈥� 

Cetera DiGiovanni, Higher Promise coordinator, said parents previously kept asking if Promise officials knew of open jobs while businesses repeatedly asked the program for help finding talent.

鈥淲e know that kids are graduating and no one has jobs,鈥� DiGiovanni said. 鈥淲e thought we would be the mediator to bring them together.鈥�

David Rust, executive director of Say Yes Buffalo, said the evolution is natural. Say Yes Buffalo, which started as a scholarship program in 2011, placed 25 students in apprenticeships in the fall of 2022 and another 25 this year.

鈥淚t stands to reason that there will be refinements, expansion of features, because we know a lot more now about what scholars and students need,鈥� he said.

College promise programs began in the 1990s with individual philanthropists adopting single schools and pledging to cover college tuition for any student that graduated from high school and enrolled in college. Anonymous donors in Kalamazoo started a citywide promise program in 2005, then other promise programs like Say Yes to Education expanded from single schools in the 1990s to the cities of Syracuse and Buffalo, New York, Greensboro County, North Carolina, and finally Cleveland in 2019.

States like Tennessee have also added statewide promise programs as the ranks have swelled to more than 400 programs nationally. The programs differ in what colleges they pay for, with some covering only the local community college, some only in-state public colleges and others including private universities that choose to be partners with them.

But once lauded for wiping out the worries of tuition debt, promise programs have found that students, particularly low-income students, also need chances to test drive careers they think they might like. They need mentors in their field. They need workplace experience before graduating and seeking a full-time job.

Sometimes students simply need a paycheck while they are in school to pay for rent, commuting to class and meals, which promise programs rarely cover. Or they skip college altogether because class time takes away earning time they need to help their families.

鈥淔ree college can be too expensive for students,鈥� said Rust. 鈥淎 lot of our scholars, over 50 percent, have combined family income below $40,000. So, we’ve seen this more so than ever throughout the pandemic, you (students) do what you have to do, not necessarily what you want to do.鈥�

There鈥檚 also benefit to the regional economy when students find careers that keep them in the city after college. 

In Columbus, Ohio, where a pilot promise program pays for Columbus school district graduates to attend Columbus State Community College, companies such as Nationwide Insurance and gas and electricity supplier IGS Energy are eager to take on promise students in college as paid interns.

John Wharton, 19, a second year finance student at Columbus State, started work at IGS this fall helping manage and audit customer accounts for $18 an hour. Because he has an interest in marketing too, his supervisors are also trying to find chances to work in that department.

鈥淚t gives you a sense of feeling for what the real world is,鈥� said Wharton, who had never had a job before the internship. 鈥淭his gives people a platform to gain insight, whether or not they actually want to do what they’re studying.鈥�

Abdallahi Thiaw, 20, also a Columbus Promise student, also just started as an intern this fall with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for $20 an hour for 20 hours a week. Since he is earning an associates degree in interactive media, developing apps and programs that can be used on mobile devices, the board has him developing a chat program for its website that lets users find out what services the nonprofit provides.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a big opportunity for students like me, because a lot of job fields will tell you that once you graduate, you need experience,鈥� said Thiaw. 鈥淏ut the main issue is nobody’s offering experience, so how are you going to get that experience? But with this program, it offers students like me experience and on top of that, you get paid great wages, which really helps us in focusing on school.鈥�

David Campbell, director of communications for the board, said matching students with work that fits their interest, like is happening with Thiaw, is ideal.

鈥淭hat idea is the genesis of this program, that they need to work, they need to have some money, but it needs to be earned and still learn, right?” Campbell said. 鈥淚t has to combine with their degree, so they get someplace at the end of it.鈥�