Taking Work-Based Learning To New Heights With NAF!

As National Internship Awareness Month comes to a close, we are excited to share a recent message to the NAF Network from NAF CEO, Lisa Dughi, about our next steps towards taking work-based learning to new heights:

At NAF, we center and value the voices and feedback of our educators and students. With greater access and opportunity to participate in work-based learning, and connect with mentors, we set out on a journey to better provide you with the resources necessary to ignite aspirations and contribute to students equipping themselves with future-ready skills for their futures. 

It’s never been more important to support students, by engaging them directly in their progress, as they work to prepare themselves for a future that’s still unfolding. We listened to perspectives from the network and numerous educators participated in different pilots during the past few years, where they directly tested out concepts and technology tools and provided us with critical feedback and used it as the basis for the changes and updates, we are thrilled to share with you.

Outcomes-Driven Work-Based Learning (ODWBL) 

We are thrilled to launch the Outcomes-Driven WBL approach during NAF Next 2023 and more information and resources will be shared with the full network later this summer. 

• NAF’s approach to work-based learning is evolving to focus on 3 key student-centered outcomes: identifying career aspirations and mapping a plan to reach their goals; building Future Ready skills and receiving feedback; and developing connections with professionals who can help them navigate their path forward.  
• We have developed a suite of new tools, including the WBL Participation Tracker, Reflection Form, and Skills Feedback tool, to provide you with expanded data to track student progress, inform WBL planning, and engage Advisory Board members and partners.  
• Having professionals, especially within the local community, provide students with feedback on their skills validates students’ progress and helps them demonstrate that they are Future Ready, whether they choose to pursue post-secondary education or enter the workforce directly after high school. 

Educators who participated in pilots of the ODWBL approach have shared how they feel this will help take work-based learning to the next level. They noted, “This approach provides an opportunity to view your program holistically. You will have an opportunity to fine tune: Keep what’s good and revamp what’s not so good. But overall, it will allow your academy to provide meaningful experiences and prepare your students to be Future Ready.”

Students also shared very positive feedback about their experiences, especially how they feel that the “The Future Ready Skills are a great guiding place for what we need to work on” and that this approach “Makes them feel heard.”

NAFTrack Certification Updates   

Alongside the evolved ODWBL approach, we are updating the NAFTrack Certification components to ensure greater student equity and impact. NAFTrack Certification is achievable by students enrolled in a NAF academy, which includes a career-connected program of study. More details will be shared in the upcoming months, but below is a high-level overview of the updates:

• In alignment with the outcomes-driven WBL approach, NAFTrack Certification requirements will now include completion of at least one activity in each phase of the WBL continuum and a Future Ready skills assessment by a supervisor.  
• Rather than an internship being the only way a student can complete a Career Preparation activity, we are expanding the options to include clinicals, apprenticeships, and mentored industry projects. 

These updates will enable more students to graduate with a portfolio of skills that will help them leverage their NAF academy experiences having identified their next steps (aspirations), built the skills needed for success, and developed their professional network (connections) to help them navigate their path forward. 

The NAFTrack system is the tools and resources we build around ODWBL to capture activities, collect feedback, deliver, and track data for purposes related to Quality Levels. We are also entering the first phase of making updates to students’ NAFTrack portal. 

At NAF Next, July 11-14, my WBL colleagues and I will be presenting multiple learning sessions, alongside NAF educators and district leaders who participated in ODWBL pilots this year. Join us, as we kick off a new era of WBL, that better prepares students of all backgrounds and capabilities for college, a career, and future success.

Looking forward to seeing you in Phoenix in July!