February is Career and Technical Education Month® (CTE Month) - a month-long celebration, raising awareness of the role career and technical education (CTE) plays in preparing learners for career success. What better time to pause our daily work and share some of what Kaptivate has been up to lately?
Kaptivate’s role in the CTE ecosystem
Kaptivate is proud of our work helping prepare students to be contributing members of today’s workforce. We believe these workplace experiences propel them into successful careers of the future. Here’s what our team is working on this month:
- Career Z Challenge - In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTAE), Kaptivate designed and manages the Career Z Challenge. This national challenge is an open innovation prize competition seeking creative solutions to expand high school student access to high-quality work-based learning (WBL) opportunities. Right now, in its second phase, Kaptivate helps 81 semi-finalists with technical assistance. These semi-finalists are working to create ecosystems (or networks of people, organizations, and companies) that drive career and technical education. Their goal is to offer students in grades 9 to 12 with valuable, practical, and inclusive work-based learning opportunities that can grow and endure into career pathways.
- Kapti-Intern Program - In Fall 2023, Kaptivate welcomed our third cohort of high school WBL student interns - Aman (grade 12), Sam (grade 12), and Soumah (grade 11). As a company with team members spread across the U.S., our intern program manages a mix of virtual and in-office experiences, giving our student interns the flexibility they need to add work to their busy school, family, and extracurricular schedules. Through their work with Kaptivate, our interns gain valuable skills and experience across a variety of areas, including project management, business development, communications, and data analysis --to name just a few. Earlier this month, our WBL interns talked about their internship experiences with the Career Z Challenge semi-finalists as part of our monthly Topical Discussions event. It was a great way to convey how real-world experiences can cultivate the skills and critical thinking for future success.
Celebrating our Work-based Learning Interns
Join us in celebrating our WBL interns for CTE Month and their achievements over the past year.
Cohort 1
- Carly (11th grade): Created social media content and assisted in the Career Z Challenge's communications.
- Ellie (12th grade): Designed an informational flier about the Career Z Challenge, distributed at the 2023 ACTE National Work-based Learning Conference.
- Oliver (12th grade): Analyzed outreach metrics to measure the Career Z Challenge's impact and engagement.
Cohort 2
- Aman (11th grade): Conducted market research and prepared summaries for Kaptivate’s business development.
- Clarissa (12th grade): Managed the scoring process for Career Z Challenge Phase 1, coordinating timelines and team efforts.
- Nya (12th grade): Handled the distribution of semi-finalist selection letters for the Career Z Challenge.
- Samantha (11th grade): Analyzed data for the Career Z Challenge annual report.
- Stuart (12th grade): Led vendor selection for the Career Z Challenge's online collaboration space--choosing a vendor below our radar--and saving over $80K.
Cohort 3
- Aman (12th grade): Hosted the Career Z Challenge Phase 2 kick-off, introducing speakers and setting the agenda.
- Sam (12th grade): Organized best practices and lessons from Career Z Challenge events.
- Soumah (11th grade): Supported Kaptivate's marketing team with social media content and scheduling.
Through our client partnerships and student internship program, Kaptivate has played a vital role in equipping students for the modern workforce. Our commitment to providing real-world experience positions these young individuals for future success. The progress we've made so far is just the beginning; it’s why we're excited to shape the workforce of tomorrow.
Want to know more?
For more information about Kaptivate’s support of CTE, visit our Career and Technical Education page.
For more information about CTE Month and how you can get involved, visit ctemonth.org.
