CREATING VALUE ACROSS ENTIRE COMMUNITIES

Students make important decisions about their interests, educational pathways and future careers long before they enter the workforce.

The Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC®) program helps students explore those opportunities earlier while creating value for schools, employers, workforce organizations and entire communities.

Create Value for Your Community with GO TEC

Schools
Industry
Communities
Partners

 

Value for School Divisions and Educators

Schools are increasingly expected to prepare students for future success while maintaining alignment with academic standards, workforce expectations and local priorities.

Participating school divisions receive an integrated package of curriculum, technology, professional development, implementation support and industry engagement. The value comes from how these elements work together as a single system that helps schools launch, sustain and continuously improve career-connected learning experiences.

The GO TEC model, administered by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), provides:

  • Annually updated curriculum informed by industry feedback and workforce demand
  • Competency-based modules focused on concept mastery and skill attainment
  • Alignment with Career and Technical Education pathways and standards
  • Educator training
  • Ongoing implementation support
  • Industry engagement opportunities
  • Proven instructional resources and equipment recommendations

Designed to Deliver Long-Term Value

The GO TEC curriculum, which currently includes 11 modules, is dynamic, evolving alongside industry needs and feedback. Educators gain access to updated content, ongoing support and a framework that helps students connect classroom learning with real opportunities in their communities and beyond.

The result is a career-connected learning experience that continues to deliver value year after year.

Strengthen Career-Connected Learning in Your Schools

Value for Industry Partners and Sponsors

The future workforce begins long before students enter the job market.

For employers, industry partners and sponsors, GO TEC provides an opportunity to help shape awareness of careers, industries and technologies during the years when students begin forming ideas about their futures.

Industry and sponsor value includes:

  • Visibility with thousands of middle school students annually
  • Opportunities to increase awareness of careers and industries
  • Connections with educators, students and families
  • Alignment with workforce development and community engagement goals

Many students have never interacted with advanced manufacturing technologies, industrial robotics, healthcare technologies, engineering tools or other modern workplace technologies. GO TEC helps introduce those technologies and corresponding career opportunities through hands-on experiences that make them tangible, relevant and exciting.

Industry involvement helps ensure those pathways remain aligned with workforce needs while creating meaningful opportunities for employers to engage with future talent.

Supporting Workforce Development Before Hiring Begins

Workforce challenges rarely begin at the point of recruitment.

They begin years earlier when students have limited awareness of the opportunities available to them.

GO TEC helps students understand how classroom learning connects to educational pathways, local industries and future careers. For organizations looking for skilled workers in in-demand fields, that creates value years before traditional recruiting efforts begin.

Connect Your Organization with Future Talent

Improve Career Awareness. Grow the Talent Pipeline

Partner with GO TEC

Value for Communities and Economic Developers

Strong workforce pipelines and strong economies are closely connected.

GO TEC was originally created because regional leaders recognized that future economic growth depends on developing talent long before students enter the workforce.

Today, GO TEC helps communities:

  • Strengthen long-term talent pipelines
  • Increase awareness of local and regional career opportunities
  • Support workforce development strategies
  • Enhance economic development efforts
  • Demonstrate investment in future workforce readiness

Companies evaluating locations often look beyond current workforce numbers. They want confidence that future talent will be available as they expand and grow. GO TEC helps communities build that confidence by creating visible pathways between education, workforce development and industry.

Workforce Development That Supports Economic Growth

Several major employers have cited Virginia’s workforce development ecosystem as an important factor in location and expansion decisions. GO TEC contributes to that ecosystem by helping communities demonstrate a long-term commitment to workforce development and talent cultivation.

By helping students understand opportunities available within their own regions, GO TEC strengthens the workforce foundation that supports future business attraction, expansion and economic growth.

Strengthen Your Region’s Future Workforce Pipeline

Value for Licensing and Implementation Partners

Rather than building a workforce development program from scratch, licensing and implementation partners can leverage a proven model that combines curriculum, educator training, implementation support and industry engagement. Already operating at scale in Virginia, GO TEC provides a framework that can be adapted to regional workforce priorities while maintaining the elements that have driven its success.

GO TEC is intentionally designed to work through regional and statewide partners that understand local industries, workforce needs and educational environments. This allows the model to be adapted to regional priorities while maintaining the core elements that have driven growth and success in Virginia.

Potential value for licensing and implementation partners includes:

  • A proven workforce development framework
  • Industry-aligned curriculum and learning experiences
  • Educator training and professional development systems
  • Implementation support and operational guidance
  • Alignment with regional workforce priorities
  • Opportunities to integrate with existing workforce and education initiatives

Proven in Virginia. Designed for Growth

GO TEC was built to support workforce and economic development goals at scale. From its beginnings in three middle schools, the program has grown into a statewide initiative serving dozens of communities across Virginia.

Now, GO TEC is actively seeking licensing and implementation partners that want to bring this workforce development model to additional states and regions.

Explore Bringing GO TEC to Your State or Region

One Program. Widespread Value.

For students, GO TEC creates awareness, confidence and foundational skills.

For educators, it provides a comprehensive framework for career-connected learning.

For employers, it helps strengthen future talent pipelines.

For communities, it supports workforce readiness and economic competitiveness.

For implementation partners, it offers a scalable model for aligning education, workforce development and industry engagement.

GO TEC creates value because it is more than curriculum, technology or career exploration alone. It is a complete workforce development system designed to help students, employers and communities succeed together.

Create Value in Your Community Partner with GO TEC