Student Experiences

Through the VERTEX Initiative, students participate in a career and college readiness program that deepens as their interests and passions begin to align.

This process happens through a strategic and interwoven set of experiences for students in three key areas:

AWARENESS
Students begin to grow in both awareness of their own interests, skills and values, as well as of the variety of career and college opportunities available to them. Download a one-page overview of awareness experiences.

EXPLORATION
Students begin to more deeply explore career and college areas they may have interest in – while seeing more directly how their skills and values align with those interests. Download a one-page overview of exploration experiences.

APPLICATION
Students put their academic experience into action through hands-on, immersive experiences with area businesses and organizations, or through advanced high school coursework, post-secondary course opportunities, and more! Download a one-page overview of application experiences.

Examples of experiences include:

College Visits
Career Fairs
Informational Interviews
College Fairs
Career Day Speakers
College Speakers
Classroom Speakers
Career Research (Kuder Navigator Career Information System)
Interest, Skill and Values Inventory (Kuder Navigator Career Information System)

Mock Interviews
Mentoring
Business/Industry Tours
Job Shadowing
Honors Courses
Postsecondary Exploration (Kuder Navigator Career Information System)
Career Exploration (Kuder Navigator Career Information System)

Internship Courses with Cooperative Work Experiences
Pre-Apprenticeship Program Courses
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (at College or University Campus)
Placement in College Credit Courses (at NICC Campus)
Concurrent Courses
Advanced Placement Courses
Competitive Career-Oriented Clubs
On-the-Job Training
Service Learning
Career and Postsecondary Decision (Kuder Navigator Career Information System)