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An opinion article in The 74 describes two approaches to career-connected education: the CAPS Network’s professional projects across high school programs and Colorado Springs School of Technology’s integration of outside opportunities into its school design. The examples show students gaining exposure to workplaces and contributing to real projects, but the article says questions remain about scaling access and sustaining partnerships.
The CAPS Network and Colorado Springs School of Technology are using different models to connect high school students with professionals, workplace projects and possible career pathways, according to an opinion article published by The 74. The examples offer a look at how career-connected learning can become part of students’ education, while leaving open how reliably schools can extend such opportunities to more students.
The CAPS Network links students to professional experiences across about 140 programs in 32 states and serves more than 15,000 young people, the article reports. Students work on projects for clients, explore fields including engineering, health care, entrepreneurship and technology, and in many programs spend five to 10 hours a week on career-related work and reflection.
The article describes CAPS alumna Chloe Aspleaf, who began with an interest in science and worked about half of her school day in a cancer research lab at the University of Kansas Health System. She concluded she wanted a more people-oriented work environment, then explored health care at a community pharmacy, earned a pharmacy technician license while in high school and pursued the field after graduation.
A second example is Colorado Springs School of Technology, a tuition-free public school in Colorado Springs School District 11’s innovation zone. Created with the city’s Department of Economic Development and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, it connects classes with opportunities at the university, local companies and community organizations. It opened with about 50 students in 2025-26 and grew to nearly 80 in its second year, according to the article.
Students Learn Through Real Work
The examples suggest career education can do more than prepare students for a particular job. In the article, Aspleaf’s lab experience helped her identify a work setting that did not suit her, before she explored another part of health care. That kind of career exploration can help students make more informed choices, though the article does not establish that every participant will have the same outcome.
Projects can also address current needs beyond the classroom. CAPS students supported The Tamale Kitchen, a Kansas City nonprofit that provides paid employment to women. Students contributed a food-truck wrap, interior equipment plans, licensing research and nutrition labels. At CSST, professional relationships have opened further project opportunities, including a medical-device design project for one sophomore. The article argues that measures such as credentials and job placements do not capture all the value of students’ learning, relationships and contributions.
For school leaders and families, the accounts highlight a practical question as career-connected learning expands: whether students receive sustained, meaningful access to outside partners, rather than only occasional exposure. The authors present the programs as examples and works in progress, not proof that one model can be applied everywhere.
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Two Models, Different Structures
CAPS organizes career-connected experiences through programs operating at high schools across multiple states. Its work includes professional projects and client relationships. For several years, students worked with The Tamale Kitchen, taking on tasks tied to the nonprofit’s food truck and operations. The examples in the article show students applying classroom skills to needs identified by an organization.
CSST instead builds outside experiences into the structure of a single public school. Its Monday “sprints” give students time to work with professionals outside their regular classes. Activities have included work in a university engineering lab, programming instruction from an entrepreneur, art and storytelling, and projects about how technology and data might help communities manage growth and resources.
The school’s development is linked in the article to demand for workers in the Colorado Springs region’s aerospace, cybersecurity, defense and technology sectors, as well as an effort to give local students access to those opportunities. The school received seed funding from a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines grant, the article says.
“The question is no longer whether career-connected learning will grow, but what kind of experiences that growth will create.”
— The 74 opinion article’s authors
Access and Outcomes Still Unclear
The article describes program reach, student experiences and reported outcomes, but it does not establish whether these approaches cause stronger long-term employment or education outcomes. CAPS’ 2025 alumni study, conducted with the University of Northern Iowa’s Strategic Marketing Services, received more than 1,200 responses. Respondents rated their post-program confidence an average of 4.84 out of 5 and reported growth in collaboration, professional communication, project management and understanding their strengths and interests. The source does not provide a comparison group or details sufficient to determine how representative respondents were of all alumni.
Questions about scale remain. The authors say providing sustained employer access to a few dozen students differs from doing so across an entire district or state. The article also identifies the need for enough partners and time for educators and school leaders to develop relationships. It does not specify how many additional partners are required, how expansion would be funded or whether the programs will reach students who currently lack access.
CSST’s reported enrollment growth and performance score describe its early years, not long-term results. The source does not provide later graduation, postsecondary enrollment or employment data.
Partnerships Will Shape Expansion
The article does not announce a new expansion plan or give a schedule for further changes at either organization. The next developments to watch are whether CAPS and CSST sustain their employer and community partnerships, whether additional students can take part in substantive projects, and how the programs track outcomes over time.
For CSST, continued enrollment, student retention and future academic and career-readiness results may show how its school-wide model develops. For CAPS, further alumni research could help clarify how participants’ reported skills and confidence relate to later education and work. The source presents both efforts as ongoing examples, with their broader effectiveness and ability to scale still unsettled.
Key Questions
What are the two organizations featured?
The article discusses the CAPS Network, which connects students to professional experiences through high school programs, and Colorado Springs School of Technology, a public school that incorporates outside professional opportunities into its design.
How does CAPS connect students with careers?
Students take on projects for real clients, work with professionals and explore fields such as engineering, health care, entrepreneurship and technology. In many programs, the article says, they spend five to 10 hours a week on this work and reflection.
What are CSST’s Monday sprints?
They are scheduled opportunities for students to engage with professionals outside their regular classes. Activities have included engineering-lab work, programming instruction and community-focused projects.
Do the examples prove that career-connected learning improves employment outcomes?
No. The article offers examples and reports on alumni survey responses, but it does not establish causal effects or provide long-term employment comparisons. The authors describe the programs as works in progress.
What challenges does the article identify?
Expanding sustained access beyond a relatively small group requires enough professional partners and time for educators and school leaders to build relationships. The article leaves the scale, resources and long-term results of broader expansion unresolved.
Source: rss
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