Innovations

In spring 2022, DPS Career and College Success was awarded a grant from the City of Denver’s Climate Action Sustainability and Resilience (CASR) Department supporting career exploration programming focused on careers in renewable energy and sustainability for high school students. The three-year grant supports career exploration events, mentoring, internships and a summer Renewable Energy Career Academy that included solar installer certification, career exploration events, mentoring and project based learning. Twelve students completed the certification training and eleven finished the Academy successfully. In partnership with the African American Trade Association (AATA), DPS has offered nine career exploration events featuring renewable energy careers resulting in 129 student experiences. AATA also created an internship opportunity for six students focused on community outreach and educating community members about solar credits offered by the local utility company. Through the grant, the students were paid minimum wage and received not only solar education but workforce development services such as resume writing, public speaking coaching, etc.

In 2017, DPS recognized and prioritized the need for affinity mentoring to create a sense of belonging among groups of students who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are interested in non-traditional careers based on their gender identity or who speak a language other than English. This began as one Women in STEM mentoring cohort and has since evolved and grown to include three Spanish Speaking cohorts, two Black Professionals cohorts, and one BIPOC Professionals cohort spanning middle and high school. The feedback around the effectiveness of the affinity spaces within recent years has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Loved, loved, loved the Black affinity group. It was incredibly powerful to watch the students gain comfortability almost immediately because they saw role models that looked like them."

"Seeing yourself in a professional mentor is HUGELY beneficial to helping students work through/past imposter syndrome. As a professional I feel the same, and am happy to see affinity groups included in this program!"

"I feel Spanish Speaking students feel they might not have the same opportunities because of the language barrier but allowing a program that is helping them seek and build a relationship outside of their school brings confidence to themselves."

"Seeing all of these empowered women in their career fields was awesome and inspired me to do something like them.”

"Having an affinity space was very helpful and inclusive.

"Having a coach was valuable because I was able to build a bond with someone who is pretty similar to me.

"Having an all female class and female mentors helped me to understand challenges I could face as a female in these fields but also how to overcome them.

Spark Elementary is the newest career exploration program offered within the work-based learning continuum of programs. As part of our 2021-2022 strategic priority to start career exploration early, our team implemented a pilot program targeting kindergarten to 5th grade students at seven schools. The framework focused on teacher-led career exploration lessons, followed by an industry guest speaker sharing their career journey and answering student questions. Guest speakers engaged students through hands-on activities which included trying on beekeeping outfits, creating video games, and designing a neighborhood park. Students really enjoy meeting and working with industry professionals in order to expand their knowledge of career pathways. In a commitment to continuous improvement, we will implement changes based on teacher feedback we received on methodology for presenting to our youngest learners.

The Spark team collaborated with the DPS Expanded Learning team to bring career exploration programming to the district’s 1st-5th grade summer school (Summer Connections). We created a 10-hour curriculum that explored students’ strengths, interests, and values through Holland’s RIASEC framework. Through games, activities, videos, and lessons, students widened their knowledge of possible future careers and made connections to their own academic lives and skill sets. The culminating event for each school site was a day with industry guest speakers, giving students the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the visiting experts.

In collaboration with three community-based organizations, the Spark team served DPS students within the Denver community by taking career exploration on the road. This effort aimed to engage students outside of the classroom and in their communities. The team offered six sessions focused on exploring personal career interests, strengths, and values through RIASEC-based curriculum. Following each session, students also had the opportunity to hear from industry professionals in various pathways. At the completion of the sessions, students presented personal strengths, RIASEC survey results, and values through a visual representation called a “Me Tree”.