By: Alisa Morse
The conversation across today’s education landscape is filled with phrases like career-connected learning, work-based learning and real-world learning. There is one phrase that encompasses and expands upon these: Profession Based Learning (ProBL). The Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network offers students immersive, profession-based learning experiences that bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application. Through strategic partnerships with industry leaders, CAPS programs across the country are empowering students to discover their passions and develop both durable and career-ready technical skills. ProBL learners make meaningful contributions to their communities through their work.
To show you the impact profession based learning has on students and communities across the country, we’re handing the microphone – or rather, the keyboard – to the students themselves. From Arizona to Missouri to Wisconsin, these firsthand accounts illuminate the transformative power of student-led, industry-connected learning experiences.
Learning Through Authentic Industry Partnerships
Lizzy Prudlow, a junior at Brookfield Central High School, discovered the profound impact of working on real-world projects through her experience with the LAUNCH program:
“Working on a LAUNCH team project with Milwaukee Tool was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had as a student. It gave me the chance to take what I’ve learned in class and actually apply it to a real situation, which made everything feel more meaningful and relevant. Getting to work with a well-known company like Milwaukee Tool helped me understand how things work in the real world—how teams collaborate, how problems get solved, and what kind of communication and professionalism is expected. It also pushed me to think more critically and be more confident in my work. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and glad I chose to be part of LAUNCH—it was an experience that challenged me and helped me grow, both personally and professionally!”
Lizzy’s experience exemplifies how profession-based learning connects classroom knowledge with real-world application, providing students with not just technical skills but also the durable skills and confidence that will serve them throughout their careers.
Creating Community Impact Through Innovation
Hunter Logan and Jared Dutton in the Mesa Public Schools CAPS program in Arizona demonstrate how profession-based learning experiences can create meaningful impact beyond the classroom walls. Alongside colleague Alaina Deleon Guerrero, Jared and Hunter worked at the intersections of education, engineering, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship:
“At Mesa Public Schools Career and Technical Education (CTE) office, we’ve been working all year to bring a few projects to life. One highlight has been our partnership with Lehi, a local elementary school, to develop the Discovery Den. Our goal is to give young students a chance to explore real-world careers in a hands-on, meaningful way. To do so, we are collaborating with local businesses to design mini “career stations” that reflect real jobs in our community. Students will help serve customers, make LEGO cars, and be exposed to a multitude of businesses. We’ve been creating a space where they can start imagining their future selves as engineers, auto mechanics, artists, bakers, and news reporters.
“Additionally, we’ve been working hard to support our district’s creation of college and career academies. As part of that effort, we designed an AI-powered assistant tailored to each academy. Each bot was built to support students in preparing for certifications, exploring career paths, understanding industry standards, and navigating their coursework. Our current work has already received encouraging feedback, and we believe the tools will be a substantial help to students next year.
“This year has been an amazing experience in the Mesa Public Schools CAPS program, and we’ve learned so much. Some of our key takeaways were how to apply our studies from the classroom to real world problems, and how to approach those problems based on the project’s goals and audience. From building community partnerships to exploring emerging technologies, we’ve grown as both learners and creators.”
These CAPS profession-based learning opportunities create a ripple effect of positive impact. By developing innovative solutions like the Discovery Den and AI-powered career assistants, Jared, Hunter and Alaina not only enhance their own learning but also create resources that will benefit future generations of students in their community.
Across the CAPS Network, students pursue careers in education by embedding in classrooms. CAPS students get student teaching experience before entering higher education.
Expanding Horizons Through Cross-Program Collaboration
The CAPS Network extends beyond individual schools and districts, creating unique opportunities for students to collaborate across geographical boundaries. Owen and Mythili, digital media associates from Spark! in the Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri, experienced this firsthand:
“Over the span of 8 to 10 weeks, we had the incredible opportunity to work with the CAPS Student Media Agency. During this time, we collaborated with peers from across the country via Slack, taking on a variety of creative tasks such as designing graphics and crafting social media posts to promote websites. Throughout the experience, we received valuable feedback and were coached by professionals in the field on essential communication techniques, helping us grow in both hard and soft skills.
“As we approached the final phase of the program, we were presented with our most ambitious project yet: developing a comprehensive pitch for the CAPS Network’s Summer Huddle. This included recording an interview, selecting a theme, designing logos, choosing a location, video editing, and creating an editorial calendar. We embraced the challenge by conducting in-depth research into past Summer Huddles and the proposed location, ultimately landing on a distinctive theme centered around jazz. The entire experience was eye-opening and pushed us to expand our creative boundaries while learning to collaborate beyond our local school community. We’re deeply grateful to the CAPS Program, especially Allison Koelzer Nelson, for the support, mentorship, and the chance to be part of such a meaningful initiative.”
Owen and Mythili’s collaboration with the CAPS Student Media Agency demonstrates how ProBL environments can break down traditional educational silos, allowing students to develop both technical skills and the ability to work effectively in virtual teams—a critical competency in today’s global workforce.
Collaborative teams also cross industries. The CAPS model encourages students to work across industry to solve big problems, like this engineering and medicine project shown here.
What makes their experience particularly powerful is that their jazz-themed concept wasn’t just a student project—it became the foundation for an actual professional event: CAPS Network Summer Huddle. This level of student involvement exemplifies the CAPS philosophy: students aren’t just beneficiaries of innovative education; they’re co-creators of it.
Where Students Lead
Inspired by the creative vision of Owen and Mythili, this year’s Summer Huddle theme, Resonance, calls on educators, industry partners and students to compose a new future for profession based learning. Summer Huddle brings together educators, industry partners, and community members from across the country. This year shouldn’t be missed because the CAPS Network has handed over facilitation of the event to 5 student interns. Register for Summer Huddle today to make sure you are a part of revolutionizing education through student-led, industry-connected learning environments.
The student stories from Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arizona that we’ve shared represent just a glimpse of the transformative experiences happening daily across the CAPS Network. From Lizzy’s industry partnership with Milwaukee Tool, to the Mesa students creating innovative community resources, to Owen and Mythili designing the very event we’re inviting you to attend—each story demonstrates the power of putting students at the center of their learning journey.
Written by Alisa Morse, supported by Claude AI. Alisa Morse is the K12 Director of the CAPS Network. After teaching in the CAPS Model, Alisa now serves through mentorship, guiding new programs as they get started with profession based learning and developing new ways to support the growing ProBL community.
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