American Student Assistance® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing how kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success, has announced the expansion of its network of partners for its EvolveMe™ digital platform that enables teens to discover high-quality, credible career experimentation activities, including virtual work-based learning opportunities, mock job interviews, and mentorships; complete tasks; and develop transferable skills they can apply to any job.
According to research, 87% of learners want to connect individual talents and interests with potential careers, and 85% prefer to learn about the prerequisites for the jobs they are interested in. EvolveMe™ has engaged more than 600,000 users to date, and the free mobile resource features more than 80 career experimentation and skills-building tasks with a completion rate of over 70 per cent.
Speaking about the development, CMO & SVP of Digital Strategy, American Student Assistance®, said:
Career-focused learning in the classroom can be challenging, now more than ever, during this era of pandemic-related learning loss. At ASA, we believe that student-led, digital experiences beyond the classroom are the best way to scale equitable access and give millions of kids agency in the decisions that will ultimately impact their futures.
ASA partners with more than 30 innovative organizations, including some with AI-driven technologies that share its goal of helping prepare middle and high school students for postsecondary education and career readiness. Its free suite of digital experiences, which has engaged and impacted over 12 million teens, also includes Future Network™, a series of original videos that span five categories and follow Gen Z as they explore and learn about different careers from industry professionals; Futurescape®, a mobile-first experience that enables career exploration aligned with teens’ interests; and Next Voice™, a digital youth advocacy platform that empowers kids with the durable skills they need to make change for the issues effectively and causes that impact their futures.
Since the launch of EvolveMe earlier this year, Teens have participated in a variety of skill-building tasks and activities, including the Skillsline platform for teaching durable and human skills; Tyto/Immersed Games platform; Talk Hiring AI-powered automated mock job interviews; DeBruce Foundation’s Agile Work Profiler; Aha Media virtual internships for geographically underserved communities in the Midwest; Create & Learn Scratch and Python online coding courses; Career Village career information platform with AI-powered career coaching; and FitMoney financial literacy module.
New partnerships have been formed with innovators, such as:
Filament Games, a custom-built game experience for ASA on the Roblox platform that builds skills in engineering and problem-solving,
Atlas Primer, which has a personalized AI-powered tutoring solution and lessons that support neurodivergent learners,
Audio, an AI-powered career development platform that aligns adaptive learning with the experiential reality of working, seamlessly integrating the application of acquired skills into career opportunities,
Growth Hack Your Career, which provides video content that helps teens prepare for getting a job,
Youth Service America, which provides video content to help teens make their community greener, safer, and stronger through meaningful service-learning projects,
Code.org, which provides video content that helps teens better understand emerging technologies like Blockchain and AI,
Big Ear Games, which enables teens to build popular songs in puzzles and learn how music works,
Athlete Tech Group, which provides a mobile app training ground that offers personalized microlearning modules for student-athletes, equipping them with the personal, social, and career skills they need for the future of work, whether in sports or beyond,
Gritly, which has constructed micro lessons to help kids develop skills such as grit & empathy,
PopUp School, which provides a quiz that helps kids understand their dominant learning styles and issues certificates upon completion of the quiz, as well as gives access to curriculum lessons tailored to their dominant learning styles and strategies for success in school,
Make Music Count, which allows students to solve math equations where the answers are piano notes to play popular songs on the piano immediately,
uConnect, a provider of curated digital career resources and content designed to engage students in career exploration earlier in their journey, to inform and inspire more meaningful career pathways and outcomes for all students,
WorkTour, where actual companies are transformed into 360 virtual workplace experiences that provide interactive games and tools to help kids learn career vocabulary and critical concepts,
Stemuli, which matches kids to their dream careers through an AI-powered chat experience,
Give Us The Floor, which provides a peer-led supportive chat community for LGBTQ youth, including videos on finding identity and facing your fears, made by children in the community,
STEAM the Streets, which demystifies STEAM career paths for students and inspires a new and diverse workforce utilizing storytelling and culturally relevant media,
Edily, which brings videos to kids with an algorithm that emphasizes learning over addiction, helping students discover relevant and engaging learning content around entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and more,
Fearless, which empowers today’s learners on their path towards tomorrow’s success with courses on personal branding and finance,
Tilt Studio, provider of Bad News: The Game, which helps teens build resilience against online manipulation.
Dan White, CEO of Filament Games, added:
RoboCo Sports League is infused with the spirit of experimentation and discovery. American Student Assistance and the EvolveMe platform are a perfect fit for this experience and the Roblox platform. We can’t wait to meet our players at the top of Mount Delta.
Ahmad Elzahdan, CEO of Audo, also commented:
Our partnership with ASA’s EvolveMe platform is crucial in providing the next generation of learners with the tools they need to navigate their future careers. Combining Audo’s AI-powered career navigation platform with ASA’s expansive network of youth-focused resources empowers young people to take control of their futures and become resilient in the face of uncertainty. This partnership is a testament to our shared vision for a world where everyone can access the information and support needed to thrive in the modern workplace.
