Early career exploration is more urgent than ever. According to our research, 65% of high school students and graduates believe that career exploration in their education would have given them valuable input when gauging postsecondary options. With growing numbers of students considering non-traditional pathways, we seek to equip them with the skills to succeed beyond their formative education, regardless of whether or not they ultimately choose to pursue a 4-year college degree.
To that end, let’s delve deeper into what careers Gen Z are curious about. According to one of our studies, about half of Gen Z demonstrated interest in pursuing entrepreneurship over a traditional career. Entrepreneurship — creating a business that delivers a unique product or service — can inspire our young leaders as they develop innovative solutions to some of our problems, one product at a time.
Some organizations have taken a lead in nurturing this trending interest. One of our key partners, NFTE, has convened a coalition for joint advocacy efforts to expand access to opportunities. Here are two of our 2024 grantees that offer exciting entrepreneurial exploration programs for ambitious middle and high school students in local communities.
Providing career pathways to marginalized communities.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) puts refugees and immigrants at the epicenter of their mission through the New American Student Startup Academy (NASSA), a pilot project designed to help refugee youth explore diverse career pathways, cultivate essential transferable skills, and access paid experiential learning and youth entrepreneurship opportunities. Opening up entrepreneurial career readiness opportunities to students from historically under-resourced backgrounds brings necessary voices to the table.
Equitable opportunities like IRC’s will transform entrepreneurship as a pursuit not only for those with established connections, but for anybody who is willing to undertake the challenge.
“The IRC in Atlanta’s New American Student Startup Academy (NASSA), a collaborative effort involving the IRC’s Youth Education, Adult Education, and Economic Empowerment departments, combines microenterprise expertise with integrated ESOL instruction to empower refugee youth, guiding them to their chosen career paths and developing their skills through hands-on, experiential learning. We are so thankful for the support of Britebound in allowing us to launch this innovative program!” — Ayaz Ahmed, Deputy Director of Legal & Integration Programs at the IRC in Atlanta
Merging career exploration with curriculums and schools.
Virtual Enterprises International facilitates partnerships between schools and companies to ensure that industry professionals have opportunities to enhance development of students through mentorship, judging, and leadership events. Through their Virtual Enterprises Junior Ventures Career Academy (VE-JV) program, middle school students have the opportunity to embark on their first entrepreneurship project in addition to other work-based learning. Starting their career exploration early on in their education guarantees that these students will be better prepared to launch into the work-based economy.
“Virtual Enterprises International not only offers students the unique opportunity to acquire business skills through hands-on experience in the classroom, but also empowers them to explore diverse career paths. We are truly grateful to Britebound for their invaluable support in enabling VE students to continually test and navigate various career options.” — Tom Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Virtual Enterprises International, Inc.
With the help of these organizations dedicated to bringing career readiness and entrepreneurship to our youth, we are closer to a future where every student can explore careers and choose what sparks their interest.
