Through the Support of American Express, Two Recognition Opportunities Will Be Offered to Highlight the Achievements of NAF Network Members
(December 19, 2023 – New York, NY) — As support for work-based learning activities, such as guest speaking, skills workshops, and internships, have continued to increase, a new third-party survey from Echelon Insights provides greater insights into the importance and impact of these offerings on today’s high school students. In line with these findings, NAF, a national education non-profit, which supports high school students’ efforts to be future ready, is pleased to launch its Work-Based Learning (WBL) Impact Program. The goal is to recognize innovative activities that elevate students’ professional development, made possible through the support of American Express.
The program will offer a recognition opportunity for educators, work-based learning coordinators, and academy leads through the WBL Impact Award. This is the first dedicated award for WBL and will highlight the achievements of NAF network members. All NAF academies are eligible and have the option to submit one completed WBL activity per term. Submission deadlines are January 22, 2024, for Fall 2023 WBL activities and May 1, 2024, for Spring 2024 WBL activities. Six finalists will be selected (three for Fall, three for Spring), with one overall winner chosen by judges in May 2024.
Additionally, a recognition opportunity for students will be showcased through the NAF Student Impact Competition. In teams of up to four, students will design, implement, and reflect on a Career Awareness or Career Exploration activity in their NAF academy. This competition is an expansion of a Spring 2023 pilot, where students designed creative Future Ready Skills workshops and social media campaigns. NAF students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate and each team is required to have a teacher supporting them. Following the May 1, 2024 deadline, a team of judges, including a NAF student, educator, advisory board members, national partners, and staff, will score the submissions and the top three teams will be announced.
For both the WBL Impact Award and NAF Student Competition, educators are using NAF’s WBL Participation Tracker to collect data on the activities and analyze multiple areas, including equity and impact. They are also able to review the WBL Reflection Form responses submitted by students after each activity. Students participating in the NAF Student Impact Competition will work with their supporting teacher to assess the data — providing them with insights into how these kinds of metrics can be used to evaluate outcomes.
All winners (the six finalists for the WBL Impact Award and the top three student teams, plus their teacher) will receive gift cards and will be recognized during NAF Next 2024 in Kissimmee, FL this July, with the WBL Impact Award winner and the teacher from the 1st place student team receiving an all-expenses paid trip to the conference. They will be sharing their activity through a learning session and will also be receiving a banner for their academy.
Additionally, NAF will be creating a resource collection with the winning entries, which will be publicly accessible and can act as a blueprint for those looking to implement new WBL activities.
To learn more, visit the official WBL Impact Program site, which includes sections on the WBL Impact Award and the NAF Student Impact Competition.
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About NAF:
NAF is a national education non-profit that brings schools and businesses together to better prepare students of all backgrounds. Since 1980, NAF has led a movement for immersive, career-focused teaching and work-based learning and helps students explore career options, create a plan for the future, and take part in hands-on, work-based learning unlike anything traditional public education systems can offer. NAF puts students on a path to achieving their full potential.
NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences; and support programs of study that are aligned with the National Career Clusters Framework. During the 2022-23 school year, over 112,000 students attended over 600 NAF academies across 35 states and territories. In 2022, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 88% of graduates planning to go to college. www.naf.org