Map Academy and YouthWorks: Building Career Pathways for Students in Plymouth

“We serve a population of youth and young adults who face complex life circumstances, and our mission is to provide the support, flexibility, and opportunity they need to earn a high school diploma and transition successfully to postsecondary education and careers,” says Rachel Babcock, Map Academy Co-founder & Co-director.

The school’s Career Pathways model ensures students have access to YouthWorks, job shadowing, internships, and Dual Enrollment with Bridgewater State University.

“Career Development is an essential pillar of Map’s mission, and all our students have access to opportunities such as YouthWorks, job shadowing, internships, and Dual Enrollment via our partnership with Bridgewater State University. These opportunities are intentionally aligned to provide students with meaningful career exploration, skill development, real-world learning and robust post-secondary planning to support long-term success beyond high school,” says Babcock.

Since the launch of programming, YouthWorks has grown into a core part of Map Academy’s support system for students. “Our YouthWorks program has grown steadily since its launch and is now a foundational element of our Career Pathways infrastructure,” Babcock explains.

A key component of YouthWorks is the Signal Success curriculum—a comprehensive career readiness program developed in partnership with education and workforce professionals to help young people build the essential skills they need to succeed in the workforce. Through a combination of self-paced online modules and live instruction, students at Map Academy develop critical skills like communication, professionalism, responsibility, teamwork and financial planning.  

“We’ve found it to be very helpful to have a curriculum that lays out the skills that many of our students need when it comes to engaging in the workforce in any context,” says Steve Sell, Assistant Director at Map Academy. “We’ve been able to make use of the resource as well as tailor it to the needs of our students. All the lessons are very well thought out, the design makes it easy to follow, and we also have the flexibility to adapt it as needed.”

As Sell explains, the curriculum goes beyond the basics of job-readiness. “It really covers many of the skills they need like communication and collaboration. They need to be able to communicate with their employer, coworkers, and they need to be able to get along with people.” He adds, “Showing up on time and following through, those are very important skills and there are some really good activities that help students practice that.”

Students at Map Academy are particularly drawn to the financial literacy components of Signal Success. “It’s a very important lifelong skill,” Sell says. “Generally, our students struggle with dependability and responsibility both in and out of school, so this helps reinforce the odea of follow-through in a real-world context.”

As of last December, 58 students completed the Career Exploration program. By this month, another 20 students are expected to finish the Career Exploration program, along with 10 students in the first cohort of Map Academy’s new Career Development program (focused on advanced training, real-world experience, and job readiness) —bringing total completions to nearly 100 students in just three years.

Map Academy’s YouthWorks programming provides students hands-on exposure to in-demand industries like manufacturing/engineering, healthcare & human services, business, construction and information/technology.  “We remain focused on building seamless pipelines from high school to meaningful postsecondary pathways for all Map Academy students,” says Babcock.

While MassHire South Shore provides regional support and funding through YouthWorks, Deborah LaFavre, MassHire Youth Program Manager, is quick to credit the Map Academy team for the program’s success.

“They are really growing their program. They are an alternative school, working with students in ways that offer real opportunities for career exploration and work experiences,” says LaFavre.

She emphasizes that Map Academy is deeply student-centered. “Map Academy meets them where they are, and they find employers that work for the youth—maybe they are closer to where they live or to the school. They really get these kids to be self-sufficient from taking the bus to maintaining employment.”

With nearly 100 YouthWorks program completions, Map Academy is showing what’s possible when a program like YouthWorks is intentionally integrated, community-supported, and built around the real lives and needs of students.