Through coursework, activities, and the Naperville 203 Comprehensive Counseling Curriculum (aligned to the Naperville 203 PaCE Framework), students explore possible career clusters and specific jobs that are available and gain a deeper understanding of the different paths that they can take toward a fulfilling future. Career awareness and exploration provides a valuable opportunity to connect an individual’s own abilities and interests to related college and career opportunities. Naperville 203 supports activities (such as participating in a job shadow or employer site visit and attending a career exposition or conference) where students have the ability to engage directly with employers for the purpose of gaining knowledge of one or more industry sectors or occupations. SchooLinks, Napeville 203's college and career readiness platform, supports students in career awareness and exploration.

Naperville 203 continues to increase opportunities for students to engage in team-based challenges in their classes and in extracurricular activities. A team-based challenge (TBC) is a collaborative, problem-based learning project that relates to a specific career(s).

TBCs include an authentic problem or challenge that is identified from or in collaboration with a community or business partner, meaningful interaction(s) with an adult mentor(s) who has related industry expertise and who is not an assigned classroom teacher, demonstration of at least one career pathway-specific technical competency as identified in the College and Career Pathway Endorsements framework by students involved in the TBC, demonstration of at least one cross-sector essential employability competency by students involved in the TBC, collaboration in/among teams to solve a problem, and a final team product or presentation.

Students who would like to earn a College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) must complete at least two TBC(s) prior to high school graduation.

Naperville 203 offers Blended Career Internship, a high school course for students 16 years of age or older. The course provides students with an opportunity to gain workplace experience in a career pathway of interest, while developing employability skills that cross all career sectors. In Blended Career Internship, students participate in both classroom instruction and on-the-job training. The course enables students to gain an understanding of how employees work together to meet the goals of the company, while at the same time conveying professional expectations of the workplace. Students develop competencies with focused instruction and career exploration. Mentors guide students toward developing effective communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. Students are involved in on-site, work-based learning where they apply skills in an authentic job setting. Grade and credit are based on both on-the-job performance and classroom lessons.

This work-based learning, career development experience

• Occurs in a workplace or under other authentic working conditions, including virtual and/or hybrid environments;
• Is co-developed by an education provider and at least one employer in the relevant field.
• Provides compensation or educational credit to the participant.
• Reinforces foundational professional skills, including, at a minimum, those outlined in the Recommended Technical and Essential Employability Competencies framework.
• Includes a professional skills assessment that assesses skill development and is utilized as a participant feedback tool.
• Takes place for a minimum of 60 total hours. (A single career development experience must be a minimum of 30 consecutive hours, and two distinct experiences can be combined to fulfill this requirement.)

Students who would like to earn a College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) must complete a minimum of 60 hours of work-based learning prior to high school graduation.

Students may also obtain career development experience independent of the Blended Career Internship course. Please contact the Career Internship Teacher and Program Coordinator at Naperville Central High School or Naperville North High School for more information.

Opportunities (including internships, employment, volunteer programs) can also be found in SchooLinks, Naperville 203's college and career readiness platform.

💡 INTERESTED IN HOSTING AN INTERN?  If you/your business would like to host a high school student intern, view this video for more information and connect with us via LinkedIn or careerinternship@naperville203.org or complete this interest form.