Local businesses are turning to high school students for fresh solutions to complex workplace challenges.

The Next generation Of Work (NOW) Teamship program has enabled students from the Academy for Engineering & Technology (AET) to work directly with businesses to solve real-world problems affecting daily operations.

“This experience makes students think critically about their approach to problem-solving, and that’s a skill they’ll carry with them long after graduation.” – Jessie Vernon, Director of Employer Engagement and Experiential Learning, IALR

Real-World Learning and Problem-Solving

Through the NOW program, teams of students are paired with businesses to solve open-ended problems. Under the guidance of experienced coaches, students research, analyze and collaborate to find actionable solutions. This model, which was developed by District C, equips students with skills like problem-solving and collaboration that they can use in their careers.

It also provides businesses with valuable new insights into their operations.

Real Business Challenges:

  • Presto: students provided solutions for how to improve employee retention
  • Hitachi: students provided prototypes for redesigning the new hire training process
  • SOVA Innovation Hub: Students provided models for increasing participation in Fab Labs

At Hitachi, the students were divided into three groups, each exploring different angles to address the problem.

“Each group took a different pathway and solution to the problem,” said Rebecca Saunders, Training & Development Instructional Design Leader at Hitachi. “It was great to have them involved. We loved having the students here.”

The students offered tailored solutions for the challenges they were assigned. One group developed a six-week training schedule for new hires, including shadowing opportunities and considerations of physical limitations.

“Many times, students haven’t gotten into industry, where they get into tunnel vision. They’re really thinking outside the box, which is a huge advantage for us to tap into,” Saunders added.

Another group focused on improving the retention of new hire attention during training.

“They really thought about the attention span of new hires and how we could present information in smaller, more manageable parts,” Saunders said.

A third group focused on pre-hire screening, creating an aptitude test and physical assessments to match potential hires with specific skills.

“I thought what all the groups pitched was phenomenal,” Saunders said.

The NOW Model

Benefits for Students

Students learn to understand and solve problems, collaborate with team members and use design-thinking methodologies to solve difficult problems

NOW for Students
Benefits for Employers

Organizations receive fresh ideas for approaching complex problems. Most organizations implement at least part of the ideas that teams propose.

NOW for Businesses

Roles and Collaboration

In their problem-solving efforts, students are coached on creating an agenda (with a new facilitator assigned to keep the group on task each day). Great agendas don’t just include the time and objective, but how the objective will be achieved.

The tools utilized vary, helping the students approach the challenges from different angles and leverage the diverse strengths of their team.

“For the most part, they were working together for the first time as their groups. These problem-solving, collaboration and other soft skills aren’t engineering specific, and I hope these students take these skills with them.” - AET Instructor John Hatchett

The NOW Program’s Broader Impact

The NOW program provides students invaluable learning experience while helping local businesses solve real-world challenges.

Mariyah Clark, a Dan River High School junior, worked with the SOVA Innovation Hub to address the challenge of engaging young adults in Fab Labs.

“At first, we didn’t have a clear idea of what we were trying to solve,” Clark shared. “But through our research, surveys and interviews, we could focus our ideas.”

The team’s solution included better advertising through social media and the creation of prototype flyers.

Hiya Bhatia, a student from Chatham High, worked on a project with Hitachi focused on extending the company’s training operations.

“Our solution was micro-learning,” Bhatia explained. “It was a really good experience, and I learned a lot of new skills trying to solve this problem.”

A Collaborative Approach with Big Benefits

The NOW program is a prime example of the power of collaboration. Students gain hands-on experience while businesses benefit from fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. The program also strengthens the connection between students and local employers, highlighting career opportunities in the region.

Jessie Vernon, a District C-certified coach and one of the IALR employees guiding the student teams, emphasized the importance of the skills the students develop through the program.

“The NOW teamship model is about learning the skills and tools necessary to solve messy and complex problems with different people,” Vernon said. “It makes them think about the actual process that they use to solve the problem more than the problem or solution itself.”

Businesses who are interested in participating in the NOW model in the 2025-2026 academic year should contact Jessie Vernon.

The Next generation of Work (NOW) program is administered by IALR’s Advanced Learning division, which aims to systematically connect students with careers and employers.