INCORPORATE EXPERIENCES INTO YOUR CURRICULUM
Experiential learning turns theory into practice
OWN Academy offers early career training through experiences ranging from workshops, fairs, and simulations as a prelude to students applying to university or an internship. Our goal is for young talent to learn 21st-century skills such as problem-solving, communication, and creativity before they step out of the classroom.
Our industry modules are designed to complement your existing curriculum and are co-created with our network of experts from the Creative, STEM, and Service industries. When you partner with us, we will run an end-to-end learning experience for your students—from developing bespoke programs, curating quality speakers, and running your school event virtually or physically.
Experiences enrich learning. Let us work together to prepare students for the future of work.
OUR COMPREHENSIVE EARLY CAREER PROGRAM
Help your students visualize their future
Real World Experience
Real World Experiences are virtual or physical career simulation programs co-designed with and delivered by professionals from the Creative, STEM, and Service industries. Students can choose industry tracks they are interested in exploring and will be given a project to complete by the end of the program.
Our goal is to help students get a better sense of their career options by giving them a taste of what it’s like to work in a specific industry and allowing them to solve authentic business problems in a safe environment.
OFFx
An offshoot of our annual OWN Future Fair (OFF), OFFx is a more intimate and customized virtual career fair that gives your students the opportunity to engage directly with expert practitioners from modern industries.
Far from a series of talks, OFFx is an interactive experience. Students are entrusted to lead and shape the discussions by serving as moderators and reporters during the event. We provide them with additional training prior to the big day. You can read about their experience here.
Purpose and DYOL Workshops
The Purpose Finder Talk and Design Your Life (DYOL) Workshops are virtual or physical self-assessment programs created to help students identify their personalities, interests, skills, and values — a critical step in helping them scope out possible career paths in today’s rapidly changing landscape.
Designed as a toolbox to map out your next steps toward your future, these workshops help early talent make more informed decisions and set them up for success in the real world.
The impact of real-world learning
For three consecutive years, American International School (AIS) has been partnering with us to bring the 5-day Real World Experience to its students in Grades 9 – 11. This end-of-year program is designed to provide them with hands-on experience and exposure to different industry tracks. It also aims to teach them 21st-century skills to prepare them for the future.
By the end of the program’s run, the students will have accomplished a total of 3 Real World Experiences, with some winning internships in companies such as Ocean Park, The New York Times, Lights Out, and On-Air Collective.
Internships are a great way to get one foot in the right industry. Securing the right one, however, takes more than just a well-written application letter. To give its students every advantage in the future, Hong Kong International School (HKIS) partnered with OWN Academy to implement the 5-day Real World Experience where students were introduced to different careers, trained on how to have the right mindset, and coached on best industry practices.
HKIS holds an annual event for their students called Experiential Week where they offer community service experiences, but because of the Real World Experience, they have now expanded the program to offer career simulation programs through OWN Academy.
Internships are a great way to get hands-on experience in the real world, but students don’t always get to maximize their time in the companies they enter. To provide a more meaningful learning experience for its Year 10 students, the Australian International School Hong Kong (AISHK) worked with OWN Academy to launch the Real World Experience.
Designed to mirror actual challenges faced by practitioners today, the program doesn’t just train students to face real business problems head on, but also instills in them the importance of a professional mindset and of finding value in their own work. By the time they enter into their respective internships, the students have the confidence and the accompanying competence to be actual assets to the company.
Stamford American International School (SAIS) has long recognized the importance of providing hands-on learning experiences to their students. Through its Cornerstones program, it chooses several points of interest to focus on each year and regularly partners with different organizations that are equipped to give its students a purposeful experience.
For the school year 2021 – 2022, SAIS collaborated with OWN Academy for a semester-long program on architecture, entrepreneurship, interior design, music production, finance, filmmaking, and game design. By working with us, SAIS is able to create real-world experiences with expert practitioners who don’t just provide students instruction, but also insight into their future career paths.
Deciding what career path to take is no easy task. To help their students make better decisions about their future, the International School of Beijing (ISB) and Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) worked hand in hand with OWN Academy to create a virtual career fair called OFFx (OWN Future Fair x) Beijing. OFFx Beijing featured 9 industry professionals who shared their expertise and experiences in the fields of finance, biotechnology, professional services, F&B, legal, interior design, event planning, ad sales, and tech.
Nearly 300 students attended the 18 industry sessions that were simultaneously conducted for 3 hours. This maximized the experience for students and allowed them to explore more career options for their futures.
OUR PROGRAMS IN ACTION
Highly interactive student experiences
PARTNER WITH US
Create rich learning opportunities
A discovery call can help us assess your needs and find out how we can integrate a real-world learning program into your curriculum.
