When you were little, you probably knew exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up—a firefighter, a nurse, or maybe even a teacher. Now that you’re older, that answer might not be so concrete. With so many career paths to take, you might not know which one to choose or what steps to take to get there. That’s where Destinations Career Academy can help.
Our tuition-free, personalized education gives you a clearer direction of what you can pursue after high school and equips you with the skills needed to succeed in highly-sought careers of the future. Destinations is powered by K12, a leader in online education with a proven record of student success, so you can feel confident that your future is in the right hands. Here’s everything you need to know about how Destinations can help you build a better future.
What Is CRE?
Career readiness education (CRE) is Destinations' modern approach to giving high school students a jump start on their path to a career or college education. Through project-based learning—a student-centered method that focuses on problem-solving, collaboration, and real-world experiences—you can explore careers in diverse industries and develop the soft skills needed to excel.
Subjects include traditional core classes—like English, history, and math—along with career-focused electives. Our model readies you for the real world by preparing you for industry-recognized certification exams and enabling you to earn college credits*, giving you a competitive edge over your peers.
In addition to the curriculum, you can enroll in career clubs directly related to your chosen pathway, network with professionals, and engage in work-based experiences like internships, job shadows, or apprenticeships. CRE helps you develop real-world skills so you can set the course for your future.
How Does CRE Differ From Traditional Educational Systems?
Career readiness education was designed to help you find the right career in a sea of possibilities. Traditional education systems don’t always show you all the options, or give you the chance to test the waters. Destinations takes an in-depth look at your strengths and interests to help you determine your career fit in fast-growing industries.
Our program offers unique opportunities. In addition to AP® classes, some Destinations Career Academies allow you to earn dual college and high school credits in other classes.* Similarly, you can take a NOCTI® certification exam, which tests your skills to succeed in a specific career, and receive a College Credit Recommendation Report by scoring 70 percent or higher. These reports signify college-level credits earned outside of the classroom and are accepted by more than 1,500 colleges and universities around the country. Thus, they can give you a competitive edge against other students or job applicants. To help further your success, you can also prepare to take exams for industry-recognized certifications.
During your time at Destinations, you’ll even have access to industry professionals through class trips and live sessions with people working in top companies in the U.S. Practice and build your skills during an apprenticeship, an internship, and events like Job Shadow Week. By showcasing your talents and interests on Tallo, a web-based networking platform, companies—like Toyota, Walmart, and Lockheed Martin—can easily find you and reach out with opportunities.
While CRE helps you to build relevant skills, Destinations also focuses on soft skills—like collaboration and leadership—which many hiring managers see as important qualities of strong applicants.
In fact, according to the Society for Human Resource Management1, 75 percent of recruiters say they had difficulty hiring because of a skills shortage and 50 percent feel the issue has worsened in the last two years.
Employers believe that more work needs to be done by organizations and education systems to ensure that the U.S. workforce is prepared for the future. In fact, 51 percent of the respondents believed that educational institutions had not addressed the shortage issue in their curriculum. That’s where CRE defies the status quo.
How Does CRE Benefit My Career?
Builds Confidence
Career readiness education builds your confidence by breaking down your options with exposure to many top careers. By better understanding your skills and interests, and by knowing more about the landscape for highly-sought careers, you’ll feel assured about navigating your path to success.
Our career counselors help you match you with the right track and map out the steps to get you there. Join career clubs* and attend online sessions with industry professionals via Nepris to learn what it takes to succeed and how you can better prepare yourself for your future job.
Gives You a Jump Start
We know how important success is to your future. That’s why CRE gives you a jump start on life after high school by giving you a competitive edge against other students and job applicants. This includes the ability to earn college credits, prepare for certifications, and participate in internships during your time in the program.* Plus, by identifying a career field early on, you can save time and money spent on exploring opportunities that aren’t a good fit for your skills and interests.
Helps You Develop Necessary Skills
In addition to building confidence and giving you a jump start, our program equips you with the job-specific skills that many entry-level job applicants lack.
Soft skills are the stepping stones to a successful future. That’s why CRE uses project-based learning to help you develop these skills long before they’re needed in the workforce or college. CRE was designed for those who want to discover their passions, refine job-specific skills, and improve their candidacy for high-demand, well-paying careers.
Whether you choose a tuition-free public school, or the tuition-based private school offered through K12 Private Academy, the Destinations Career Academy program is available in all 50 states and around the world. † If you’re ready to set the course for your future through career readiness education, fill out the form below to be contacted by an advisor.
1Society for Human Resource Management, The Global Skills Shortage: Bridging the Talent Gap with Education, Training and Sourcing, 2019
2Burning Glass Technologies, The Human Factor: The Hard Time Employers Have Finding Soft Skills, 2015
3TheEconomist Intelligence Unit, Closing The Skills Gap: companies and collages collaborating for change, 2014
4National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Outlook, 2017
5PayScale, Workforce-Skills Preparedness Report, 2016
6Bissell, K.A., College and Career Readiness: An interview study of high school graduates and their descriptions of postsecondary life, 2017
††K12 is under a territorial non-compete obligation with another company that precludes us from enrolling students or shipping materials to students in the countries listed below while that company has territorial exclusivity. You can learn more about options in your area at icademymiddleeast.com.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
In addition, at this time, the United States has an embargo on the provision of certain products and services in the countries listed below that encompasses those provided by K12. As such, K12 is prohibited from entering into transactions with residents or resident companies.
Western Balkans, Belarus, Central Africa, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe
