Career Exploration that’s Memorable and Impactful: A GO TEC Webinar

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) has received a $96,450.50 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) to expand a teacher endorsement program that will strengthen career-connected learning opportunities for students across Virginia.

Administered by IALR, the Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC®) program is a career exploration and talent pipeline initiative that embeds hands-on learning experiences with industry-aligned technologies directly into middle schools. During the 2026-27 school year, GO TEC will operate in 84 Virginia middle schools across 50+ school divisions, reaching students from Hampton Roads to Southwest Virginia.

As the program has grown from a three-school pilot into a statewide initiative, IALR has identified a shortage of properly endorsed technology and engineering educators. This challenge could limit school divisions’ ability to sustain and expand these experiences.

“The only way we can prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow is to make sure we have the qualified teachers that can deliver the experience,” said Jacob Taylor, Interim GO TEC Director.

To help meet that demand, IALR is expanding its Technology and Engineering Teacher Endorsement Preparation Bootcamp with support from TRRC. The program equips educators with the knowledge and support needed to earn the Technology and Engineering Education endorsement required by the Virginia Department of Education.

The Challenge

GO TEC gives middle school students opportunities to explore strategic, technology-focused career sectors before they make decisions about their educational and professional futures. Students use industry-aligned equipment and technologies while building foundational knowledge and skills in areas such as automation and robotics, electrical engineering, healthcare technologies, information technology, manufacturing engineering, precision agriculture and welding.

These experiences are designed to do more than build general career awareness. The GO TEC experience aligns with Virginia Career and Technical Education competencies and is mapped to grade-level-appropriate CTE course codes, helping connect classroom experiences to future career pathways.

Delivering consistent, high-quality experiences across a growing network of GO TEC labs requires educators with the appropriate knowledge, preparation and credentials. However, Virginia continues to face a shortage of teachers holding the Technology and Engineering Education endorsement.

Virginia provides a pathway for licensed educators to add the endorsement: teachers who already hold a collegiate professional teaching license can earn the endorsement by passing the Praxis 5053 assessment and applying to have it added to their license.

As GO TEC expanded into additional schools and divisions, program leaders saw an opportunity to help educators navigate the process and obtain the endorsement.

“We recognized the importance of helping our partner school divisions build and sustain a pipeline of appropriately endorsed teachers. As we considered course alignment, we wanted to ensure GO TEC supported that goal and strengthened divisions’ ability to staff these labs successfully,” Taylor said.

GO TEC is designed as the starting point in a larger talent development pathway. Through partnerships among K-12 education, higher education, workforce organizations and industry, students can move from middle school career exploration into high school career and technical education, dual enrollment, postsecondary education and workforce training. Preparing students to enter that pathway begins with ensuring qualified educators are available to lead their earliest hands-on experiences.

Testing a Solution

In June 2025, IALR piloted a Technology and Engineering Education Endorsement Bootcamp for GO TEC educators who did not yet hold the endorsement.

The four-day pilot combined in-person and virtual instruction to prepare participants for the Praxis 5053 examination. The eight educators who completed the program all passed the exam. (Seven passed on their first attempt, while the eighth passed on a second attempt.)

The success of the pilot demonstrated that targeted professional development could help school divisions build and maintain a pipeline of qualified technology and engineering educators while supporting the continued growth of GO TEC programming.

Expanding the Program

With support from the TRRC grant and a $96,862.63 IALR match, IALR is formalizing and expanding the endorsement preparation program into a scalable professional development offering.

Grant funding will support the development of curriculum, learning resources and delivery methods while allowing the first teachers from the TRRC region to complete the program at no cost. Participants will also receive stipends for completing the bootcamp and sitting for the Praxis examination.

“IALR is one of the Commission’s greatest success stories, and I am pleased that they continue to be an innovative, forward-looking asset to our Southern Virginia community,” said TRRC Commissioner Danny Marshall. “This ‘boot camp’ will ensure that our educators are fully prepared to help our students thrive in a world increasingly reliant on expertise in technology and engineering. Investing in our teachers is investing in our future and I can think of no better use of Commission funds.”

The initiative also expands GO TEC’s growing portfolio of educator support services.

Building on lessons learned from the pilot, IALR redesigned the program to fit into educators’ existing schedules and workloads conveniently. Rather than requiring multiple days away from the classroom, the new format will be delivered over four weeks through a blend of synchronous and asynchronous virtual learning.

Participants will complete 32 hours of instruction through a learning management system that includes content review, guided study modules, practice assessments, test-taking strategies and ongoing support. The revised format aligns with the Praxis testing schedule while minimizing disruptions to classroom instruction.

The endorsement preparation program complements the professional development GO TEC teachers already receive.

“This bootcamp was designed to build on the strong foundation our GO TEC teachers have already developed through our training program, providing additional content knowledge, test preparation, and hands-on support to significantly increase their readiness for success on the Praxis 5053 exam,” Taylor said.

Supporting School Divisions

While many current GO TEC instructors already hold the required endorsement, the program provides an important pathway for new teachers entering GO TEC classrooms, educators transitioning into new roles and school divisions expanding career-connected learning opportunities.

“One of IALR’s core strengths is identifying gaps and bringing together the right partners and resources to address them,” said Dr. Melanie Lewis, Vice President of Advanced Learning at IALR. “Through GO TEC, we’re committed to supporting strong K-12 educational systems and creating opportunities for teacher professional development that ultimately benefit students, school divisions and employers. This endorsement preparation program is another example of how we work with our partners to solve challenges and strengthen talent development pipelines.”

GO TEC’s mission is to help students connect classroom learning with future career opportunities. Achieving that goal requires qualified educators who can effectively guide the students through those experiences, technologies and careers.

The teacher endorsement preparation program is another example of how IALR and GO TEC work alongside school divisions to address emerging challenges and strengthen educational pathways for students.