NextGen Pathways:
Empowering Exceptional Learners
for College, Career, and Life
A Foundation Academies Innovation
Foundation Academies proudly leads the way as New Jersey’s first school to weave real-world career preparation directly into the school day, empowering exceptional learners with the skills and confidence to thrive beyond high school.
Through hands-on learning, mentorship, and exploration, scholars gain the tools to succeed in college, careers, and entrepreneurship.
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) help students with disabilities build career, college, and life skills.
Preparing Scholars for What Comes Next
Through Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), scholars transform career learning into meaningful, real-world experiences. Instead of adding more after-school programs, NextGen Pathways brings career exploration, skill-building, and self-advocacy directly into the classroom, making preparation part of everyday learning.
Each experience is purposeful and age-appropriate, helping scholars connect academic learning to future goals in college, trades, entrepreneurship, or the workforce.
What to Expect in Each Core Area
Job Exploration
Students discover career interests through interactive lessons, guest speakers, and immersive VR experiences that bring industries to life.
Work-Based Learning
Through job shadows, project-based learning, and internships, scholars see how classroom lessons translate into real-world careers.
Workplace Readiness
Projects and workshops strengthen communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that employers value across all industries.
Self-Advocacy
Scholars learn to express their needs, goals, and strengths with confidence, skills essential for lifelong independence and success.
Pre-ETS is about opening doors early, helping every scholar see what’s possible and preparing them to step boldly into their next chapter.
Innovation in Action:
Career Exploration Through Virtual Reality
Innovation isn’t a buzzword, it’s part of the learning experience.
Through Virtual Reality (VR), scholars step into fully simulated workplaces where they can explore, experiment, and imagine their futures.
Whether “clocking in” for a shift at a hospital, designing a house, or repairing a jet engine, students experience careers firsthand, building technical skills, curiosity, and confidence long before they enter the workforce.
What the Experience Feels Like
Healthcare & Human Services
Step inside a virtual hospital and assist in patient simulations, learning teamwork, empathy, and precision.
Engineering & Skilled Trades
Measure, design, and “build” structures in 3D construction environments where physics and problem-solving come to life.
Technology & Innovation
Explore careers in IT, coding, and cybersecurity by completing virtual missions in realistic digital workspaces.
Design, Media, & Entrepreneurship
Experiment with storytelling and creative production in virtual studios, learning how innovation drives business and art.
Public Service & Leadership
Experience real-world decision-making as a firefighter, teacher, or first responder, building resilience, leadership, and teamwork.
Over 20 hours of immersive VR career exploration annually
Exposure to 3–5 industries per year, aligned with academic learning
Increased student confidence in decision-making, communication, and goal setting
Program Highlights
“When our students put on those headsets, they don’t just see careers, they live them. That moment of discovery changes everything.”
- FA Workforce Team
Every Year Builds a New Level of Confidence
NextGen Pathways is a four-year journey that transforms curiosity into capability.
Each grade builds on the last, guiding scholars from self-discovery to real-world application and independence.
By graduation, every scholar has explored their passions, practiced key workplace skills, and charted a clear path toward college, career, or entrepreneurship.
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Students begin by exploring who they are and what inspires them.
Through career assessments, classroom discussions, and immersive virtual reality experiences, they start to connect their interests and strengths with real-world possibilities.
⭐ Outcome: Scholars complete a Career Discovery Profile and log at least 10 hours of exploration across three industries, identifying their top interest areas for future study.
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Scholars strengthen communication, collaboration, and critical thinking through hands-on Passion Projects and team-based challenges.
They learn how to bring ideas to life and start building the professional habits that drive success in any field.
⭐ Outcome: Each student completes a 15–20 hour Passion Project aligned to a career theme and earns a Career Readiness Badge for demonstrating teamwork, initiative, and reliability. -
It’s time to step outside the classroom.
Students engage in job shadows, connect with mentors, and begin earning industry-recognized micro-credentials that align with their interests.
They refine resumes, practice interviews, and prepare to make informed postsecondary choices.
⭐ Outcome: Scholars complete at least one industry credential and gain 20+ hours of work-based learning through job shadowing, mentorship, or community-based projects. -
Seniors turn preparation into opportunity.
They participate in paid internships, entrepreneurship labs, and transition planning sessions that strengthen independence.
Events like Junior Shark Tank and Senior Signing Day celebrate both college and career commitments, marking the start of each scholar’s next chapter.
⭐ Outcome: Every scholar graduates with a College, Career, or Entrepreneurship Plan, a professional resume and portfolio, and real-world experience through paid or project-based placements.
The Scholar Journey
Every step builds confidence, purpose, and momentum.
By the time scholars graduate, they’ve not only imagined their future, but they’ve also practiced it, experienced it, and are ready to own it.
See How Employers and Donors Help Bring These Experiences to Life →
Building Tomorrow’s Workforce, Together
Exceptional talent is waiting to be discovered, and you can help shape its future.
By partnering with NextGen Pathways, employers connect directly with motivated young people who are developing real-world skills, professional habits, and a readiness to contribute from day one.
Our team supports every step, from coordinating experiences to ensuring scholars are prepared and coached for success.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more inclusive workforce pipeline for New Jersey.
Ways to Partner
Offer paid, supported experiences where scholars apply what they’ve learned in real workplace settings.
Host Internships
Become a Mentor
Guide students through workplace readiness and professional development
Join the Workforce Council
Share insights that help shape our curriculum, training priorities, and industry alignment.
Open Your Doors
Welcome scholars for job tours, shadow days, or team meet-and-greets that bring industries to life.
Mutual Benefits:
Gain access to a pipeline of motivated, pre-trained candidates
Demonstrate your organization’s commitment to community and inclusion
Shape future talent in industries facing workforce shortages
Build long-term connections with local educators and leaders
When employers invest in opportunity, communities thrive.
Join us in preparing the next generation, not just to work, but to lead.
Parents: Our Strongest Partners
Parents are at the heart of every scholar’s success.
NextGen Pathways is built on partnership, between educators, workforce specialists, and the people who know each scholar best: their families.
Together, we help exceptional learners build independence, discover their interests, and plan meaningful futures after high school.
Our team provides consistent communication, connects families to state services, and ensures parents feel supported every step of the way.
How We Support Parents
Personalized Communication
Families receive regular updates about scholar progress, upcoming experiences, and opportunities to stay involved in transition planning.
Coordinated Support
We work closely with the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (NJDVRS) to ensure every eligible scholar has access to career exploration, assistive technology, and postsecondary readiness services.
Community Partnerships
We’re proud to collaborate with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and NJM Insurance Group on an 8-Month Mentorship Program that connects scholars with caring professionals who provide guidance, career insights, and real-world exposure throughout the school year.
This tri-collaboration creates meaningful connections between youth and industry mentors, helping scholars build confidence, expand networks, and explore their career interests in a supportive environment.
Applications are now closed!
Thank you to all who applied, we can’t wait to begin this incredible experience together.
Parent FAQ: What Families Ask Most
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Students enrolled at Foundation Academies are automatically reviewed for participation through the Student Services team. Families can also contact the Workforce Team to discuss eligibility or interest.
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Scholars strengthen communication, collaboration, and critical thinking through hands-on Passion Projects and team-based challenges.
They learn how to bring ideas to life and start building the professional habits that drive success in any field.
Scholars with an active IEP or 504 plan, or documented disability, ages 14–21, may qualify for services through NJDVRS. Our team helps families navigate the referral and approval process. -
Yes! We’ve created a simple parent-friendly guide that breaks down what Pre-ETS means, how it works, and what families can expect.
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No. Pre-ETS complements your child’s current educational supports by adding hands-on career readiness and life-skills experiences, it doesn’t replace academic services.
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Families receive communication directly from the Workforce Team and are invited to participate in transition planning meetings throughout the school year.
Parent Resource Hub
Quick-Access Resource Links
We’ve gathered a few key resources to help you better understand and support your scholar’s transition journey. These connect you to trusted partners and state services that work alongside our NextGen Pathways program.
We’re here to help, every question is welcome.
Whether you’re curious about eligibility, services, or how to get started, our Workforce Team is available to support you.
Ask the Workforce Team
We know this process can feel complex, that’s why we’ve created simple guides written from a parent’s perspective.
Each guide is short, practical, and available for download below.
Parent Guide Library
Understanding Pre-ETS — A Parent’s Guide
Explains what Pre-ETS means, who qualifies, and how it supports exceptional learners in preparing for life after high school.
🔗 Download →
How to Prepare for Your Scholar’s NJDVRS Meeting
A quick checklist to help families feel confident and organized before an NJDVRS meeting — including questions to ask and documents to bring.
🔗 Download →
Simple strategies families can use to reinforce communication, responsibility, and confidence at home.
🔗 Download →
Supporting Career Readiness at Home
Your Impact in Action
Every scholar deserves the chance to discover their potential, and every donor helps make that possible.
Through your investment in NextGen Pathways, exceptional learners gain access to immersive career exploration, mentorship, and hands-on experiences that prepare them for college, career, and life.
Your support fuels opportunity, transforming futures one scholar at a time.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
Career Exploration for Every Scholar
Your generosity ensures that each student experiences more than 20 hours of virtual career exploration annually, discovering 3–5 industries and connecting learning to real-world purpose.
Mentorship and Workforce Readiness
Donor funding helps expand our Work-Based Learning and Mentorship Partnerships (like BBBS + NJM), connecting youth with professionals who inspire and guide them.
Industry Credentials and Real Skills
Supporters make it possible for scholars to earn industry-recognized micro-credentials and Career Readiness Badges, helping them graduate with both diplomas and documented skills.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Your investment powers entrepreneurship labs, maker-space projects, and our annual Junior Shark Tank, where students pitch real business ideas, learning creativity, problem-solving, and confidence.
Equity in Action
Every dollar helps break down barriers, ensuring exceptional learners have access to the same opportunities as their peers, with the right supports in place to help them thrive.
“Your generosity turns preparation into possibility. Because of donors like you, our scholars are not just ready for the future, they’re shaping it.”
- Daniela Rivera, Senior Director of Workforce & Public Funding
Ways to Give
Support unrestricted funding that sustains career programs, mentorship, and VR expansion across all grade levels.
Annual Giving
Sponsorships & Partnerships
Partner with us to fund specific career pathways, industry certifications, or internship placements.
Invest in long-term innovation, from expanding VR infrastructure to equipping new workforce labs and maker spaces.