CPC Career Days Are Underway!

 As LA Unified students continue to adjust to another semester of virtual learning, CTE teachers are also figuring out how to adapt experiential learning to a remote setting. One of the key components of career technical education is work-based learning—including professional development, career exploration, and access to industry—which LA Promise Fund’s Career Pathway Connections team is happy to offer; our work with The Intern Project over the summer has prepared us to deliver exceptional virtual engagement opportunities, and our network of industry partners are eager to share their experiences with our South LA student community.
 
In August, we started the school year off with a Career Day co-hosted by Disney, and Fremont High School’s animation pathway was invited to a series of panel discussions where Disney VoluntEARS showcased their expertise across several departments, ranging from animation and lighting, to legal and technology operations. The students were thrilled to see how the software programs they were learning were routinely being used in Disney’s animation studio. It was also illuminating for them to see that many of the panelists came from similar backgrounds as themselves. “All the presenters got their chance to speak and all of them revealed how they came from communities just like ours,” shared one student at the end of the event. “It gave me a sense of comfort knowing that seemingly perfect people at the top of the ladder started from the very bottom.”
 
Using the success of the Disney Career Day as a model, Career Pathway Connections has expanded the series to all of the network schools in SLATE-Z. We have partnered each pathway to an industry leader in their field of study, and we will continue to cultivate these connections with other events, such as resume review days and mock interview days, throughout the school year.
 
Our upcoming Career Day schedule is listed below, and many of the presentations will be available to view on our website after the event:
 
Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School, Engineering pathway and Buro Happold: Oct. 21
Santee Education Complex, Entrepreneurship and Coding and Ayzenburg Group: Oct. 23
Manual Arts High School, SMART SLC and Community Health Partners: Oct. 28
Manual Arts High School, SMART SLC, Biotechnology pathway and Cedars-Sinai Accelerator: Nov. 5