ACTE's Region II Conference 2026

Schools and industry partners share the goal of preparing students for future careers, but collaboration is often limited to one-time events such as career days or guest speakers. While valuable, these experiences can lack consistency, scalability, and long-term impact. This session addresses that gap by sharing practical strategies to build structured, sustainable school–industry partnerships.


Participants will explore the concept of an outreach catalog—a simple, structured menu of engagement opportunities that helps both educators and industry partners participate more consistently and effectively. The session will also introduce “flipped field trips,” where industry experiences are brought directly into the classroom through hands-on, interactive activities rather than relying solely on student travel to worksites. These approaches increase access and expand engagement for more students.


Attendees will also learn how to design flexible, scalable activities that can be adapted based on time and setting while still reinforcing the same core skills. For example, one activity can be used in a brief career fair interaction, a short classroom visit, or a full class period experience. This flexible design ensures consistency in skill development while maximizing impact across environments. Participants will leave with practical tools to strengthen partnerships and immediately improve student engagement.