By Ryan Steuer | CEO, Magnify Learning
Recently, I sat down with Matt Fry and Frank Oldani from Belvidere School District 100 in Illinois, and our conversation kept coming back to one powerful idea:
Career readiness is not just about preparing students for jobs. It’s about preparing them for life.
That distinction matters.
For years, education has often treated “college readiness” as the finish line. If students got accepted into a university, we considered that success. But we’ve all seen the reality: students enrolling without direction, taking on debt without a plan, or discovering years later that the path they chose never actually fit who they were.
Matt and Frank are helping students explore something bigger — purpose, adaptability, confidence, and employability skills that transfer across industries and careers.
And they’re doing it through systems, processes, and relationships.
The Skills That Actually Matter
When we talk about career readiness, it’s easy to focus on technical skills. Welding. Healthcare certifications. Automotive technology. IT pathways.
Those matter.
But what stood out most in our conversation was how much emphasis they place on the human side of readiness.
Frank talked about teaching students cultural competency, initiative, emotional intelligence, and growth mindset. Matt emphasized adaptability — helping students become nimble enough to navigate a workforce that will continue changing throughout their lives.
Those are the skills employers consistently say they need most.
- Can students communicate professionally?
- Can they collaborate with people different from themselves?
- Can they solve problems?
- Can they recover after failure?
Those aren’t “extra” skills anymore. They’re foundational.
And the truth is, students don’t magically develop those abilities after graduation. Schools have to intentionally create experiences where students can practice them now.
Relationships Open Doors
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation was how intentional Belvidere has been about building community partnerships.
But they didn’t start by asking businesses for internships.
They started by building trust.
That might mean inviting a local professional to speak with students. It might mean arranging a site visit for a small group of learners. It might mean helping a business owner feel comfortable engaging with students for the first time.
Those small wins matter, and don’t forget that these small wins are not the finish line. We are building relationships with these partners. As our relationships grow, our student interactions can grow deeper and more meaningful.
Too often, schools think they need a massive program before they begin, but sustainable career readiness grows one relationship at a time.
And when students succeed in those opportunities, momentum builds.
One successful internship leads to another. One positive partnership creates credibility for the next one.
Eventually, students start hearing about opportunities from each other in the hallway.
That’s when culture starts to shift.
Your Biggest Partner Might Already Be in Your Building
One insight Frank shared really stuck with me.
When he started looking for workforce opportunities for students, he realized the largest employer in the community was actually the school district itself.
Think about all the career pathways represented inside a district:
- IT departments
- Facilities and maintenance
- HVAC systems
- Occupational therapists
- Speech therapists
- Nursing staff
- Food services
- Office management
- Transportation
Sometimes we overlook the opportunities already sitting inside our own walls.
That mindset shift creates immediate possibilities for job shadowing, internships, mentorships, and career exploration without needing to build every partnership from scratch.
It’s a great reminder that innovation doesn’t always require something brand new. Sometimes it starts with seeing familiar systems differently.
Career Readiness Requires Real Experiences
One of the most powerful stories from the episode involved a student interested in veterinary science.
A local animal clinic had struggled to fill a position for months. Frank connected three students to interview opportunities, and one student landed the role.
That experience didn’t just help her earn income. It helped her complete requirements for her FFA state degree and strengthened her pathway into animal science after graduation.
That’s the power of relationships and authentic learning experiences.
Students begin connecting classroom learning to real-world purpose.
And equally important, students also discover what they don’t want to do.
That matters too.
Helping students eliminate pathways early can save years of frustration, debt, and uncertainty later.
Scaling the Work Without Losing the Quality
One challenge Matt highlighted is something many districts are wrestling with right now:
How do we expand career readiness opportunities without overextending ourselves?
As partnerships grow, coordination becomes more complex. Schools have to balance access with quality. They have to ensure students are prepared before entering professional spaces. They have to support community partners throughout the process.
That’s why sustainable systems matter.
Career readiness can’t rest on one passionate educator alone. It requires teams, structures, and long-term community investment.
But the payoff is worth it.
Because when schools build strong partnerships and meaningful experiences, students graduate with more than credits and transcripts.
They graduate with direction.
Final Thoughts
Matt shares, “It’s less about preparing kids for a specific job and more about preparing them to be able to adapt.”
That’s the future our students are stepping into.
Not a single career. Not a fixed pathway. But a world that will continue evolving faster than any of us can predict.
Schools that prioritize relationships, authentic experiences, and employability skills will position students to thrive no matter where their paths lead.
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