How Do We Partner?

The Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools serves as a conduit between students, public education, and industry leaders. Student learning
at the Innovation Center transcends the traditional classroom and provides experiential opportunities that are developing today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

In an effort to provide our students with a strong competitive advantage, the Innovation Center actively seeks partner involvement in its work. Partners form the crucial community bonds that allow Innovation Center students to engage meaningfully with the world around them. Local businesses and organizations work with students to address pressing issues, to provide hands-on practical experience, and to engage with tomorrow’s leaders. As an Innovation Center partner, you’ll support cutting-edge education while at the same time benefiting from the innovative projects and creative solutions of Innovation Center students.

Opportunities include exploration, work-based learning, philanthropy, and sponsorship.

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Exploration

Job Shadow: A career exploration activity where a student follows an employee at a business for a short period of time to learn about a particular occupation or industry. This is an unpaid work-based learning activity.

Speaking Engagements: Partners are welcome to work with our workforce development coordinators to set up meaningful engagements via a series of talks or guest speakers. Guest speakers focus on a range of topics, from content specific to their business to general career advice.

Project Team Mentorship: Mentorship is a critical component to a student’s long-term success. Mentoring through the Innovation Center is done through volunteer-based efforts where a professional can share their experience on a project team that is working towards a common goal. This is a great opportunity for a professional to help students develop their technical skills as they are exploring their possible future careers. Project teams are offered in Entrepreneurship, Aeronautics, Cyber Security, Robotics, Web Development, and many others.

Events: Events are an engaging vehicle to introduce students to a particular field. Events vary in length and format, from one-two hours to full-day, week-long series. Examples of events include hackathons or design thinking challenges related to a certain industry or employer.

Teacher Externships: Externships provide teachers with hands-on experience, giving them unique insight into the modern needs of industry today. An externship is a paid experience that can be anywhere from one to six weeks. As part of the externship a teacher works for a business partner and is immersed in the various facets of that industry related field to gain a better understanding of the needs for that particular sector. This transformative learning is quintessential in preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow. Teacher externships typically take place during the summer or on breaks throughout the school year.

Expertise: Interested organizations can assist with providing industry knowledge to guide our content and curricula through content specific advisory board membership or assisting on strategic business modeling for various areas of the Innovation Center.

Work-Based Learning

Internship: A one-time, short term experience that is relevant to the coursework/pathway that students are pursuing. The experience can be extended beyond a one-time experience depending on the employer. Students pursuing an internship may be in a professional setting or a school environment depending on how the internship has been constructed. Students are evaluated and given feedback throughout the experience to ensure long-term professional development. Internships can be paid or unpaid while earning credit. Unpaid internships are categorized as a capstone and students can receive high school credit for their participation.

Apprenticeships: Apprenticeships within the CareerWise program provide the opportunity to earn while you learn. Work experience that is earned is directly transferable to future industry- relevant careers. The purpose for the employer is to recruit, train, and retain students who have invested their education in their respective space.

Work/Study: An opportunity to learn about the world of work while getting paid and earning credit. This experience typically takes place during the school day and is part of the curriculum.

P-TECH: A three-way partnership between a high school, community college, and corporate partner. As part of the partnership, students involved receive opportunities to learn workforce readiness skills, mentorship from the partner’s employees, internship opportunities tied to the program, and opportunities to be first-in-line to interview for open positions.

Contact Eric Bergen for information about how to get involved in work-based learning opportunities at the Innovation Center.

Philanthropy

The Innovation Center is proud to partner with grantmaking foundations, corporate social responsibility offices, and philanthropists to advance its mission. All philanthropic investments are customized based on alignment of vision and goals of the Innovation Center and its individual partners. Size, area of focus, scope, and recognition benefits are also customized.

While all divisions of the Innovation Center benefit from philanthropic investments, the Innovation Center is actively seeking partners in the following divisions:

• Biosciences
• Robotics
• Aeronautics
• Artificial intelligence/Cyber Security
• Makerspace/Community Engagement
• Entrepreneurship

Contact Hilary Sontag for information about how to help accelerate the work of Innovation Center through philanthropic investments.

Sponsorship

Throughout the Innovation Center we have a variety of sponsorship opportunities including but not limited to: financial investments in Innovation Center programming, naming rights to space throughout our 50k sq./ft. facility, naming rights to events and tournaments, access to student design teams for product development, marketing exposure, and more.

For additional partnership inquiries, contact Axel Reitzig.