Career Exposure Pilot Evaluation
Project Overview
__
The Career Exposure program provides
opportunities for rising 8th grade students in
Philadelphia to explore what skills and
experiences careers require, set long- and shortterm goal goals, and develop their social network.
The six-week pilot was launched to expand
summer work readiness training to middle grades
youth. A formative evaluation assessed
implementation and identified program success
and challenges.
Implementation/Activities
_____________
Participants completed a career inventory,
conducted in-depth research into career clusters,
and created an individualized career plan. Youth
engaged in Project-Based Learning (PBL) that
increased awareness of careers and connected
directly to their vocational interests. Programs
took youth to worksites and colleges and brought
in guest speakers to increase vocational
awareness. Providers had flexibility in the design
and activities of their programs.
Contributors/Stakeholders _______________
The Philadelphia Youth Network managed and
supported the program which was hosted at
seven sites: ASPIRA, Congreso, District 1199C,
Pathways, Philadelphia Center for Arts and
Technology, New Foundations Charter School,
and Urban Affairs Coalition. Funding was provided
through a private foundation.
The evaluation included site visits, student focus
groups, program director interviews, pre- and
post-assessments of 21st Century skills, and
youth satisfaction surveys.
Program Successes
98%
94%
completed
an Interest
Inventory
created an
Individual
Career Plan
83%
93%
Increased
21st
Century
Skills
engaged in
ProjectBased
Learning
Guest
Speakers
Worksite
Visits
College
Visits
6 out of 7
5 out of 7
5 out of 7
Youth Satisfaction Data
97%
94%
90%
• Participating in this program has increased my knowledge about career
paths open to me
Outcomes
_____________
Program staff identified students’ demonstrations
of learning and increased participant confidence
as successes. Youth reported that peer-to-peer
and youth-to-staff relationships as well as worksite
and college visits were positives of the program.
Challenges included coordinating exposure
activities and balancing youth needs with program
goals. There were variations across providers in
program dosage, youth attendance, and the
exposure experiences in which youth participated.
Based on a pre- and post-assessment of 21st
Century skills, 83% of youth demonstrated a skill
gain in one or more areas.
Recommendations for future iterations of this
program include standardizing some program
requirements, structured guidance for planning
and implementing PBL, networking opportunities
for providers, and enhanced accountability
mechanisms.
• I felt that this program helped me to develop new skills
• I am more confident in my ability to set goals and achieve them as a
result of participating in this program
Contact Information
• Participating in this program has changed my idea of what’s possible
for me to achieve
Sarah Costelloe and Joe Ciesielski
Research & Evaluation
Philadelphia Youth Network
(267) 502-3717
scostelloe@pyninc.org