Career-based learning brings work to life for students

Young people can’t aspire to be something they haven’t seen. Career-based learning provides young people with experiences in the real world of work where they can apply academic learning and develop essential workplace skills. For employers, there is growing evidence that early experiences are a “test drive” that can influence career choice and academic pursuits.

As the competition for scarce talent heats up, employers are asking for help getting in front of young people and their influencers earlier, while career decisions are being made.

M7’s Regional Talent Partnership (RTP) was formed to align the Milwaukee Region’s talent resources with high-growth industry clusters and create a stronger, more agile workforce. RTP launched the GROW HERE campaign in September 2016, connecting industry and education to help students in middle and high school explore careers, develop workplace skills and prepare for a rapidly changing future through career-based learning experiences.

Connecting real-world relevance to what students learn may help students persist in school. Students in career-based learning programs complete related coursework at higher rates and show higher attendance andgraduation than their peers.

Career experiences can influence students’ academic and career plans. As a result of our efforts, the number of students with a saved career in the Inspire platform, indicating interest in a career path, rose from 2,334 to 47,151.

An analysis of Inspire data within Waukesha County districts showed that career interests become more realistic between 9th and 12th grade, with careers such as physical therapist and mechanical engineer replacingcareers such as professional athlete and animator in the top 10.

It’s important that students get exposure to a breadth of careers, and then access to more targeted pathway experiences aligned with their interests.

High-touch experiences like youth apprenticeships and internships are in shorter supply.

Career expos and fairs are plentiful and can inspire students. But to be truly effective, they must include a “what’s next?” opportunity.

Classroom project support requests are trending upward as schools in our region implement career academies and entrepreneurial skills accelerators.