Career Exploration + Middle School

PrepareRI’s Career Exploration programming is introducing younger students (elementary and middle school levels) to a variety of possible careers.

 What is career exploration?

Career exploration refers to programming that introduces younger students to a variety of possible careers. These programs are primarily focused on elementary and middle school students, while high school students will explore careers in more depth through work-based learning. PrepareRI plans to grow a sustained system of career awareness and exploration opportunities that will enable educators and schools to provide students with multiple opportunities to gain exposure to high-skill, high-growth careers. 

exploration organizations

• The PrepareRI Work-Based Learning Navigator, developed and launched with support from Fidelity Investments and the Partnership for RI and managed by Skills for RI’s Future, is a free online portal designed to connect classroom learning to career exploration and work-based learning opportunities. Through this platform, employers post work-based learning opportunities, and educators can search and request those resources for their classroom. We are recruiting local employers to provide work–based learning resources such as resume building workshops, serve as guest speakers, participate in career panels, work-based learning internships, workplace tours for students across the state. Learn more through this one-pager, or click the link here to sign up and someone from Skills for RI’s Future will be in touch!

• Blue Valley Schools’ Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) is a nationally-recognized, innovative high school program. Students fast forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school and college credit. CAPS is an example of how business, community and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate the workforce of tomorrow, especially in high skill, high demand jobs. CAPS provides students the opportunity to deeply explore professional areas of interest through a profession-based, inquiry learning method. CAPS is driven by the changing workforce needs of industry, therefore instructors and CAPS business partners collaborate to develop coursework. CAPS curriculum is dynamic, constantly evolving to follow industry trends and market changes using a copyrighted rapid prototyping curriculum development process.

• EVERFI: EVERFI is the leading education technology company that provides scalable digital real world education for millions of students of all ages. EVERFI helps teachers prepare students to face real life challenges - now and in the future. Thanks to hundreds of partners who share our mission, EVERFI offers free digital resources and local implementation support to help elementary, middle and high school teachers equip their students with skills for life.

• INCubatoredu: The INCubatoredu program offers students an authentic entrepreneurship experience. In this program, students have the opportunity to create and develop their own entrepreneurial idea. Real entrepreneurs and business experts serve as volunteer coaches and mentors, guiding student teams through the Lean Startup processes of developing hypotheses about a business concept, testing those hypotheses, adapting, and continually learning and improving. This cycle of experimentation is combined with foundational business concepts such as marketing and finance.

• Wingspans: is an immersive platform that uses storytelling for self-discovery, career exploration, and lifelong success. It has 700+ career stories that make work come to life, employer profiles, a story-driven personality assessment, a shareable portfolio, career planning tools, and 30+ lessons centered around career clusters, self-reflection, and social skills. In this sample video career story, see how Tyrone Bell, an electrician’s apprentice, gets a second chance at making something of himself: https://www.wingspans.com/story/tyrone-bell

• Junior Achievement Rhode Island: We are the nation's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement's programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.

• Project Lead the Way: Project Lead The Way (PTLW) is a not-for-profit organization that develops STEM curricula for use by US elementary, middle, and high schools. We create an engaging classroom environment unlike any other. PLTW empowers students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges. Through our pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, students not only learn technical skills, but also learn to solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate, and collaborate. We also provide teachers with the training, resources, and support they need to engage students in real-world learning.

• Rhode Island Commerce Corporation: The Commerce Corporation works with public, private and non-profit partners to create the conditions for businesses in all sectors to thrive and to improve the quality of life for our citizens by promoting the state's long-term economic health and prosperity.

• SENEDIA: The Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDIA) was formed to identify, champion, and coordinate issues that contribute to our national security and benefit employers, local communities, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and other federal government agencies. SENEDIA’s vision is to be a catalyst for thought leadership and technical innovation in undersea technology, cybersecurity, and other critical defense technologies. Our mission is to enable the development of the innovative technology, foster thought leadership, and facilitate required workforce development.