Navigating Our Way is a leading, national initiative committed to changing how society values career and technical education and the skilled trades, so all students may follow their interests and pursue their passions.

Through cultivating and supporting learning environments that emphasize serious and deliberate practice in school, mentoring at internship sites, and apprenticing, Navigating Our Way gives students a strong sense of identity, confidence, and purpose—
no matter their path.

NAVIGATING OUR WAY PRESENTS:

What if bored, disengaged students had a magical app to change school to be something engaging, meaningful and truly helpful in navigating their way to success?

Find out in Get Real!—the all-new graphic novel designed to show what interest-based, mentor-supported REAL world learning looks like.

Order your copy today.

• We imagine a day when the stigma around the trades has vanished, and all educational pathways are appreciated and properly resourced. 

• We envision an educational system that prioritizes the student’s interests to help them navigate successful personal and professional journeys.

• We hope for an end to the “college-for-all” mindset, which leads many young people into an academic pathway that often results in few skills and crippling debt. 

• We are excited by a growing movement of kindred spirits who have embraced more creative and effective models of learning for students looking to pursue their interests.

• We know that one day, if we take corrective measures, we will successfully tackle today’s alarming gap of skilled workers, ensuring a vibrant U.S. economy dependent on this critical workforce. 

We hope this inaugural film from the Navigating Our Way team can help spark conversations around how we think about educational pathways that support all students. Share this film with others, share your feedback with us and join us as we help change story around the trades.  

To be clear. We are not saying the trades are better than college. We are simply saying students have choices.  Different paths. Neither better. Just different. All good—if they help a student navigate their way toward personal and professional success.

Check out our Resources page for more information on Get Real, Navigating Our Way guides and partners, and a series of free Navigating Our Way-themed posters!

Wow! A student like Sylvie!

Why an Honors Student Wants to Skip College and Go to Trade School (Wall Street Journal)

Evidence That Makes it Evident: Improving Assessment by Emulating the Trades

After Decades of Pushing Bachelor’s Degrees, U.S. Needs More Tradespeople (PBS)

Op-ed: Not Everyone Should Go to College (Wall Street Journal)