King George County Public Schools announced this week that it has been selected to advance to phase 2 of a $2.5 million federal prize competition.
The Career Z Challenge, which the U.S. Department of Education launched in March, seeks innovative ideas for expanding work-based learning in the nation’s K–12 school divisions.
“Employers are struggling to fill open positions,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said at the launch of the challenge. “In 2022, there were more than 11 million job openings and only 6 million unemployed workers. Work-based learning increases opportunities and access for students to explore and develop skills to become contributing members of today’s workforce and succeed in their future careers.”
King George’s proposal for establishing the Fox Career Academy at King George High School was selected as one of 100 nationwide submissions to advance to the semifinal phase of the competition.
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“King George County Schools’ accepted proposal is designed to expand hands-on career offerings and incorporate the National Career Academy model into high school programming,” the division wrote in a press release.
Phase 2 will run from September through July. Overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, semifinalists will receive technical assistance from Kaptivate, a strategic communications firm, to support the development and implementation of their proposals.
Each semifinalist that makes progress on their plan will qualify for a $10,000 award and the chance to be one of 10 selected for phase 3 of the challenge.
This phase involves additional resources and support and the opportunity for each finalist to receive a $150,000 award toward their program.
