By bringing real-world learning to classrooms we help young people explore career options, learn about workplace expectations, understand industry trends, and develop skills that promote post-secondary success.
PAI works to fill the gaps in under-resourced schools and historically under-served students (low-income students of color). We provide a set of scaffolded career awareness, exploration, preparation and training services for students in middle and high schools.
The middle school years are a critical time for students to engage in career exploration, build self-awareness, and develop a plan for reaching their future goals. Our program prepares students for success through these key strategies:
We help students understand the skills, training, and education needed to be successful in various career fields by providing career panels, industry tours, career days, and career-connected field trips.
For many middle schoolers the high school selection process can be daunting. We work closely with school counselors to build student confidence in the selection process by sponsoring high school visits, providing workshops, high-school-selection fairs, and sponsoring alumni panels.
Our program enables students to explore different career pathways and make connections between school and their career interests. Our workshops include goal setting, career assessments, and introduction to financial literacy.
Our Workforce Development initiatives helps high school students explore their career options, learn about real-world expectations, and gain industry knowledge.
By providing deeper-touch programming informed by industry professionals and PAI Staff, students gain valuable skills and knowledge that propels them to post-secondary success. Our programs include:
In collaboration with Parkway West High School and our community partners, we prepare students for multiple career opportunities in the education field. Students receive hands on training, are given the opportunity to earn their Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) while enrolled in our formal pre-apprenticeship program, and participate in paid internships.
In response to the need to provide diversified, qualified candidates to fill opportunities in the Tourism and Hospitality sector, our Tourism & Hospitality Management Program provides a set of workforce development experiences designed to prepare students to successfully pursue post-secondary opportunities that place students on a career trajectory that extends beyond entry-level positions.
Our Pre-Apprenticeship in the Construction Trade Program (PACT) at Mastbaum High School ensures students gain valuable career exposure and awareness options. Students benefit from work-based learning opportunities, industry connections, professional skill development, certification opportunities, and more in the fields of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and welding.
Our after-school program, Philly Tech Gateway, helps tech-oriented junior and senior high school students develop marketable tech skills to jump-start their entry into life-sustaining career opportunities and/or postsecondary programs.
"Our school vision is Mastbaum. We Build the Future. We are all builders at Mastbaum, and the Construction Trades partnership with PAI helps us to do exactly that – build the skills of young people so that we may build the literal future together."