Schools put meticulous thought, planning, and effort into every school day. Yet, students spend more time outside classroom walls than in them.
When the final bell rings, students scatter to various programs, homes, and neighborhood centers. While school influence is limited during this second part of the day, there is a way to bridge academic and home learning and impact your students for good.
That bridge is after-school programming, which complements academic achievement with career readiness programs, including training for trades like HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Incorporating skilled trades training in after-school programs equips students with practical skills and knowledge, preparing them for a wide range of in-demand careers.
Why After-School Programs Matter
After-school programs have many documented benefits, from academic to social and emotional well-being. Even teenagers, who could stay home alone, reap benefits from after-school programs. Lower dropout rates, higher attendance, and fewer risky behaviors are just a few.
After-school programs also impact students’ lives after graduation. One study of older youth (16-19) enrolled in work-based learning programs found a correlation to higher quality employment at age 29. While not all high-school students are into clubs, sports, or part-level jobs, everyone has the chance to start building their futures early.
Barriers like transportation, cost, and schedules often prevent students from enrolling in apprenticeships or skilled trade programs before graduating, but technology is democratizing the process. It’s more accessible and affordable than ever to put students on track to better careers and better lives.
Why the Next Generation Should Pursue the Skilled Trades
Not every student is on a four-year degree track, and that’s a good thing. Skilled trades like construction, plumbing, electrical repair, and HVAC repair have a growing demand and high earning potential.
Young adults with a skilled trade enter the workforce faster, with less debt than their traditional higher-education counterparts. Many go on to start businesses and give back to their communities.
How to Use Tech to Promote Trades Career Readiness in Your After-School Program
Students can learn a trade through a combination of virtual and field experiences. In some cases, they can earn job-ready certificates entirely online. A technology-enabled after-school program doesn’t require a special lab to offer classes and certifications. You can implement it in any location with a computer or mobile phone.
There are two primary ways to offer trades career readiness in your after-school programs.
Option 1: Supplement Your Existing Programs with Immersive Simulations and Videos
If you already offer a CTE program in your schools, you can supplement it with a program with expert-created courses like the ones from Interplay Learning. These programs offer career exploration tools, videos, and 3D and VR simulations to sharpen students’ skills.
With unlimited practice, students can continue hands-on learning outside the classroom with a reduced teacher load and a lower cost of consumable materials. Built-in assessments also help teachers gauge students’ progress. This technology helps to expand access to your after-school program and extends your impact with virtual elements that take up less physical space and the option to keep practicing at home.
These programs don’t just teach technical skills, they also reinforce soft skills which are critical in bridging the workforce. Skills like working on a team, dealing with difficult customers, and effective communication serve students well no matter their future career choice.
Option 2: Offer a Self-Serve Career Readiness Learning Path
If you don’t offer a skilled trades or career readiness program, it’s easy to start. You can implement a career-readiness program for students to explore during unstructured time in your after-school program.
With out-of-the-box solutions like Interplay Academy, students have access to all the same technology but take a self-led approach to exploring and gaining knowledge in different skilled trades. With content created by subject matter experts, you can start offering the skilled trades in your after-school program without adding additional resources right away.
Why Technology-Driven Career Readiness Programs Work in After-School Programs
Students use technology for entertainment, communication, and everything in between. Why not enable them to explore and work toward a career using tech? Here’s why technology-based trades programs work well in after-school settings.
1. Career Exploration
After-school programs are the perfect setting for career exploration. With more unstructured time and less academic pressure than in the classroom, students can tinker and dream. Career exploration lets students explore different career paths, from appliance repair to construction, with hands-on experiences from day one.
2. Gamification
As digital natives, students engage with games and videos better than traditional lectures or reading. Interplay Learning’s programs build in gamification to incentivize students. Participants score points for each video, knowledge check, simulation, and assessment completed. Students can also challenge themselves with goal-setting and compete against their peers with a leaderboard.
3. Flexibility
After-school programs are often a gap filler. They must be flexible to work around academic, student, and family needs. That’s why self-paced programs excel at keeping students engaged and learning no matter the schedule. The technology is portable— it allows students to learn in the after-school program, but also on school breaks and wherever works best for them.
Tech-driven after-school programs bridge the gap between academic learning and career readiness. Using immersive learning and gamification, you can offer students a fun and safe way to explore skilled trades.
As the demand for skilled trades continues to grow, integrating technology into after-school programs ensures that the next generation is equipped to meet this need and build prosperous, fulfilling careers.
