Making Careers Real for Middle Schoolers: A Six-Week College and Career Camp
Case Study
A county workforce development board asked Altus to design and run a College and Career Camp at a public middle school. Twelve hands-on sessions and visits to a corporate skills center and a university campus turned career awareness into something students could see and touch.
Client details are anonymized.
The challenge
Middle school is when students start ruling careers in or out, often without seeing what those careers involve. The workforce board wanted a youth career program that reached students early, in their own school, and held their attention for a full six weeks in fall 2025.
The approach
Altus designed and delivered the full program:
- Twelve sessions, twice a week. Each session was built around a project or team challenge rather than a lecture, covering career awareness, self-discovery, employability skills and career pathways.
- Interest-based exploration. Students used RIASEC interest activities to connect what they enjoy with career clusters, then reflected on what they learned.
- Real places, real people. Guest speakers brought working professionals into the classroom. Field experiences at a major employer's skills training center and a university campus connected students' interests to real workplaces and postsecondary options.
- Built for engagement. Facilitators used trauma-informed practice, belonging and growth mindset, adjusted for middle school learners.
- Managed like a project. Altus handled facilitator preparation, attendance, logistics, parent communication, and coordination with the school and the workforce board.
When attendance dipped early, the team did not wait for the final report. Facilitators reached out to students and families, coordinated with school partners, and adjusted the program to re-engage participants.
The results
- 12 sessions delivered over six weeks
- 2 field experiences outside the school building
- Program delivered to the approved scope with no compliance deficiencies
- An early attendance dip addressed within the program through family outreach and partner coordination
The same program model now serves younger learners. In fall 2026, Altus adapted it for elementary students ages 6 to 11 under a city recreation grant.
What works with middle school learners
- Replace lectures with projects and team challenges.
- Start from students' interests, then connect them to careers.
- Get students out of the building at least once.
- Treat an attendance dip as a signal to act that week.