Why Pro-Pathways?

Professional pathways exploration can happen with your students at any stage of the iMentor program. There may be a variety of reasons why  students do not want to go to college after high school. Some might have ambitions that are best pursued in a certificate or technical program, others might want to go to the military or participate in a gap year program. And some might not be meeting graduation requirements, or have a lower GPA, and will want to explore non-academic options. Others will opt to find employment.

Whether your student is interested in the military, college isn't applicable to their career pathway, or they are unsure of what they want to do, the information below details some resources you can use to help your pairs plan for the future.

If students are unsure of what they want to do post-high school, encourage them and their mentor to start with the  Exploring Postsecondary Pathways to help guide them with understanding the steps needed for military, gap year, certificate programs, and employment.

Certificate Programs

A Certificate Program is a series of courses providing in-depth study, so you can get the most up-to-date skills and information you need in a specific field. If your students are interested in a certificate program, visit their local community college website. Many colleges offer certificate programs as a part of their Continuing Education courses.

Example: Bronx Community College Automotive Technology Certificate (New York)

Example: Evergreen Valley College Medical Assistant Certificate (Bay Area)

Certification Programs

Certification programs are affiliated with professional associations, trade organizations, or private vendors interested in raising industry standards. Students are usually evaluated against predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, or competencies. 

The most common certification programs are usually in the IT field. Some of these programs can also be found on a college website or are offered as a part of a training program through a nonprofit. 

Example: Year Up

Example: NPower Tech Fundamentals Certification

Apprenticeship Programs

Apprenticeships combine hands-on work with classroom learning for on-the-job-training to train the apprentice. Apprenticeships are considered full-time employment. As the apprentice is learning, they are also applying the lessons through working. 

Most of these programs are offered through trade unions such as plumbing, carpentry, and electrician.

Example: Job Corp Training Program

Gap Year Programs 

Use this handout to explore gap year/ service year programs with your mentee.

Gap Year Programs enable students to engage in experiences that develop skills and broaden their mindsets, before going to college. A “gap year” is a period between completing high school and beginning college. During this time, students take a break from traditional school to work in a field of interest, volunteer locally or abroad, participate in artistic training programs, etc.

Example: City Year

Example: Public Allies

Military

Use this handout to explore military options with your mentee. 

If your mentee wants to join the military after high school, help them research enlistment options, come up with questions to ask a recruiter, and identify which branch they are interested in. 

Employment

Use this handout to explore employment with your mentee.

If your mentee wants to work after high school, help them prepare for job interviews: support on their resume, help them identify the best job opportunities for growth (management potential), practice their interview skills and think about what is the best outfit to wear for an interview.

Finding Programs 

When supporting your mentee with researching and applying to pro-pathway programs, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Eligibility requirements - age requirements, residency, time commitment, application requirements, etc can help a mentee determine if the program will be a good fit.
• Benefits - what will your mentee get as a result of participating in this pathway/program? (ex. certification, union membership, job placement support, professional networking, etc)
• Legitimacy - is this program accredited? Will it lead to secure employment? 
• Cost -  what are the tuition/ training costs?

We also have Pro-Pathways Directories for you and your mentee to learn more about your mentee's non-college options.

• National Pro-Pathways Directory
• Baltimore Pro-Pathways Directory
• Bay Area Pro-Pathways Directory
• Chicago Pro-Pathways Directory
• NYC Pro-Pathways Directory