The Institute for a STEM Ready America

These companion resources help out-of-school programs expand high-quality career-connected learning. The Career-Connected Learning Framework supports providers in designing hands-on experiences that build career awareness, exploration, and preparation. The Building Bridges with Industry Playbook offers practical guidance for forming and sustaining partnerships with employers that open doors to real-world STEM opportunities. Together, they help programs strengthen learning experiences and the relationships that make them possible.

• Career-Connected Learning Framework
• Building Bridges with Industry Playbook
• Career-Connected STEM Activity Planning Checklist

Visit our Events page to register for upcoming trainings on these resources. Each event listing is updated after an event concludes with a form to access the recording, so you can revisit the content anytime.

This framework provides research- and practice-based strategies to expand participation in STEM. It helps programs identify and address barriers, create welcoming spaces, and design experiences that support youth who have historically had fewer opportunities to engage in STEM learning.

• Access to STEM Framework

This resource outlines ten core engineering practices that help young people think and solve problems like engineers. It supports programs in cultivating teamwork, creativity, real-world problem-solving, and design thinking—skills that strengthen STEM learning and build confidence.

• Engineering Mindset

This project equips programs and families with tools to work together in strengthening youth curiosity, confidence, and persistence in STEM. By making family engagement central to learning, it helps programs create environments where young people feel supported, motivated, and able to see themselves in future STEM pathways.

• The Family Engagement Project

This research-based framework, created with UC Irvine’s Connected Learning Lab, helps programs connect learning across schools, families, and communities. It offers practical strategies for supporting youth as they move between settings, sustain STEM interest over time, and access experiences that build toward future opportunities.

• Making Connections Framework