Making the Most of Pathful This Summer: Ideas for Diverse Programs

May 16th, 2025

|

Sam Spiegel

Copied Link!

Summer offers a chance to continue supporting students' career development without the constraints of the regular school year. Many educators find that summer is actually the perfect time to focus on career exploration and skills development. Here are practical ways to use Pathful with different student populations during summer months.

When summer arrives and academic schedules ease, TRIO professionals face the challenge of maintaining momentum with college-bound students. This seasonal shift offers a unique window to deepen career exploration without competing academic pressures.

Try these structured weekly activities:

• Week 1: Career Discovery – Have students complete a career interest inventory, then discuss their top three career matches along with education requirements for each.
• Week 2: College Hunt – Using Pathful's postsecondary tools, ask students to identify and compare three colleges that offer programs matching their career interests.
• Week 3: Professional Connections – Schedule a live session with a professional working in a field popular among your students. Before the session, have students prepare three specific questions to ask.
• Week 4: Resume Building – Guide students in creating or updating their resumes with a section highlighting career exploration activities completed through Pathful.

Quick Tip: Create a simple tracking system where students can record their career exploration activities and see their progress throughout the summer.

TRIO professionals can track student engagement through Pathful's reporting tools, demonstrating continued program impact during summer months while preparing students for fall transitions.

With summer's temporary employment opportunities and decreased training schedules, workforce development specialists often seek structured ways to maintain career momentum. Pathful provides tools to bridge these seasonal gaps while building employability skills that transfer across industries.

Try this weekly structure:

• Monday Skills Focus: Focus on a specific employability skill from Pathful's FlexLessons (like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, or workplace etiquette). Discuss how each skill applies to local job opportunities.
• Wednesday Career Research: Guide participants in researching high-demand careers in your local area using Pathful's database. Focus on education requirements, salary information, and growth potential.
• Friday Application Activities: End each week with practical application—resume building, mock interviews, or discussing skills learned through Pathful's industry-led projects.

Quick Tip: At the beginning of your program, help participants create a list of employability skills they want to develop over the summer. Check in regularly to discuss their progress.

Workforce specialists can use Pathful's data analytics to track participation and demonstrate program effectiveness to stakeholders and funding sources during summer programming.

VR professionals know that summer's more flexible schedules create prime opportunities for career exploration without the competing demands of academic programs or winter transportation barriers. Pathful's accessible tools can help maintain continuity in client development during these warmer months.

Effective VR activities:

• Guided Assessment Discussions: Have clients complete one of Pathful's career assessments, then lead a conversation about their strengths and skills they want to develop.
• Career Video Exploration: Watch job shadowing videos together and discuss key aspects: Tasks shown in this job, potential accommodations needed, required skills clients already possess, and skills they would need to develop.
• Interview Skill Building: Use Pathful's workplace communication lessons as a foundation for practicing interview scenarios with a focus on discussing strengths and accommodation needs.
• Employer Connection Preparation: Before scheduling a live session with an employer, help clients prepare specific questions about workplace accommodations and job requirements.

Quick Tip: Regular check-ins about career exploration progress help clients stay motivated and focused throughout the summer.

VR counselors can document pre-employment transition services efficiently through Pathful's reporting features, simplifying summer program documentation requirements.

Special educators consistently report that summer learning gaps particularly impact transition skills for students with disabilities. Pathful's multi-modal exploration tools provide opportunities to maintain career development momentum while respecting different learning styles and processing needs.

Practical special education activities:

• Visual Career Discussions: After students watch career videos, talk about: What people in this job do, tools or objects used in this work, why someone might enjoy this career, and skills needed to succeed.
• Skills Practice: Identify workplace skills (punctuality, following directions, teamwork) from Pathful's lessons that students can practice during summer activities.
• Career Interest Sharing: Have students select their favorite careers from Pathful and discuss why they find them interesting or appealing.
• Family Conversation Starters: Share simple career conversation prompts with families based on Pathful videos their student watched during summer sessions.

Quick Tip: Breaking career exploration into shorter, focused sessions often works better than longer blocks, especially for students who need time to process new information.

Summer program coordinators frequently seek ways to enrich recreational activities with meaningful career development that doesn't feel like "school." Pathful's engaging video content and interactive tools blend seamlessly with summer programming while building valuable college and career awareness.

Simple career exploration activities:

• Career-of-the-Day: Select careers from Pathful that connect to your summer program theme. Each day, watch a short video and discuss: "What surprised you about this job?" Keep track of careers explored on a simple chart.
• Guest Speaker Preparation: Before a live session with an industry professional, discuss: What we already know about this career and questions we want to ask
• Career Exploration Rotations: Set up activities where students can: Watch a Pathful career video, practice a related skill and share what they learned.
• College Exploration: For older students, guide them in using Pathful's postsecondary tools to find colleges that match their interests and discover scholarship opportunities.

Quick Tip: Most summer programs already have a points or rewards system—simply add career exploration activities as ways to earn points!

Ready to include Pathful in your summer programming? Here's a simple planning approach:

3-Step Pathful Summer Plan:

1. Schedule Planning

• Identify 2-3 specific days each week for Pathful activities
• Allocate time for: assessments, videos, discussions, live sessions
• Consider scheduling career activities in the morning when attention is highest

2. Goals & Progress Tracking

• Select 1-2 primary learning objectives for your students
• Decide how you'll track progress throughout the program
• Plan to recognize skills developed by the end of summer

3. Engagement Strategy

• Set weekly career exploration goals
• Plan a mid-program activity to maintain momentum
• Prepare an end-of-summer opportunity for students to share what they've learned

Time-Saving Tip: Start by choosing just one Pathful feature to implement really well rather than trying to use everything at once. You can always expand as your program develops.