The Success Story You Haven’t Heard Enough About
There is a quiet revolution happening in New Orleans public schools, and it is changing the trajectory of our students’ lives. It’s called Career-Connected Learning.
At its core, Career-Connected Learning links education with real-world career experiences. For those of us in earlier generations, “VoTech” or “Shop” may come to mind, but today’s version is vastly different. It serves as a vital bridge between high school and what comes next—whether that is college, a career, or a combination of both.
Powered by a robust ecosystem of schools, families, employers, and training providers, YouthForce NOLA has led a citywide effort to establish this approach as a core pillar of the city’s education and workforce strategy. Career-Connected Learning focuses on a “trifecta” for student success: Industry-Recognized Credentials, Soft Skills, and Work-Based Learning.
Technical Skills: Earning Credentials of Value
A key focus is providing interested students the opportunity to earn Industry-recognized credentials in high wage, high demand career pathways. Credentials validate that a student has mastered technical skills that employers value, helping to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce.
The growth in credentials has been explosive. In 2014, fewer than 50 graduating seniors held an industry credential. Last year, the graduating class of 2025 earned over 1,100 credentials.
A major driver of this success is the New Orleans Career Center (NOCC). In March 2023, NOCC opened a state-of-the-art facility at the former McDonogh 35 site (after having operated in various sites since their first cohort in fall 2018). Students spend half their day at their home high school and half at NOCC, training in high-demand fields and earning credentials and pre-apprenticeships in areas like nursing, medical assistant, certified nurse assistant, HVAC, carpentry, electrical, culinary arts, and engineering. In 2017, NOCC began with 129 trainees from 7 high schools. Today, it is training 670 students from 23 high schools.
“I now see a future I didn’t believe was possible.”
– Paul J., Sophie B. Wright Senior and NOCC Student
Soft Skills: The “Secret Sauce”
Technical skills get you the interview, but soft skills get you – and keep you on – the job. Often called “employability skills,” these transferable traits increasingly rank above technical training for entry-level applicants. In an age of AI and automation, the human element—collaboration and adaptability—is more valuable than ever. Top executives recognize the growing importance of these skills in the face of job losses tied to AI.
“My advice to people would be critical thinking, learn skills, learn your EQ [emotional quotient], learn how to be good in a meeting, how to communicate, how to write.”
– Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase CEO
Through federal grants and City support, YouthForce NOLA and providers like NOCC and Operation Spark are integrating these six core skills directly into technical training and classrooms:
As a bonus, NOLA-PS school leaders are increasingly adopting soft skills programming in general subject areas—and seeing improvements in student attendance, academic engagement, and test scores.
Work-Based Learning: Bridging Skills to the Workplace
Everyone has to have their first job at some point, but few employers want to be anyone’s first full-time job. Paid internship programs fill in this void – creating a structured on-ramp to work for young people while also supporting employers as supervisors.
YouthForce NOLA’s paid summer internship program is a cornerstone of this citywide effort. The experience begins with 60 hours of intensive training in soft skills and business etiquette, followed by 110 hours of work experience. This is the critical step where young people practice and internalize their technical skills and soft skills in a real-world setting, all while evolving their plans for post-high school.
Last year, more than 250 rising seniors participated in YouthForce NOLA’s summer internship program. In total, close to 1,900 public high school students in New Orleans have completed an internship in partnership with more than 250 local employers.1
“I love how [my summer internship] helped me grow as a young professional… To see how it would even be to be on my own, going to a job, arriving on time. For the first time outside of school, I was creating my own self as a young adult.”
– Nathaniel K., YouthForce Internship Alum, Edna Karr H.S.
Early Outcomes Signal Powerful Impact
Young people who complete YouthForce NOLA’s Internship and/or participate in technical training consistently stand out from their peers. In a 2024 survey of alumni, the results were telling:2
- Next-Step Success: 97% of alumni continued to higher education or obtained a job.
- Higher Earnings: Alumni earned an average of $3.10/hour more than their peers statewide, totaling roughly $6,500 more annually.
- Local Talent Retention: 75% of alumni choose to stay and work in the Greater New Orleans area.
Career-Connected Learning is clearly a powerful catalyst, showing what can happen when students are connected to real skills, real work, and real opportunity.
The Goal: Future-Ready Graduates
We’ve known for years that a high school diploma alone is no longer enough. The work now is to have our graduates future-ready, leaving high school with a diploma in one hand, and in the other, a resume filled with credentials, soft skills, and real work experience, ready for whatever comes next.
Career-Connected Learning isn’t just preparing students for careers; it is empowering them to thrive in life. Educate Now! salutes the businesses, schools, families, and training providers who make this work possible.
Want to host an intern, help fund an internship position, or otherwise get involved? Contact Tori at YouthForce NOLA.
As we head into the New Year, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season and the very best in 2026!
Note: Leslie Jacobs is a co-founder and currently serves as board chair of YouthForce NOLA.
Sources
1YouthForceNOLA.org
2Conducted by Delivery Associates and paid for by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the 2024 survey tabulated responses from 667 YouthForce NOLA and/or training provider alumni.