Michelle Cheang is the Program Director of the Catalyze Challenge. She joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the career-connected learning grants offered through Michelle's organization. Catalyze aims to fund innovation in career exposure and preparation for ages 11-22 through grants, shared learning, and storytelling.

Michelle explains how Catalyze takes an equity lens, seeking to expand opportunities for historically excluded groups. The new Catalyze Challenge runs through September 22nd and will fund exploratory projects on two themes: career exploration for young teens and meaningful employer partnerships. So there's still time to submit. Michelle stresses the application process is simple, just clearly explain the problem and your proposed solution. She predicts education will need to coordinate more closely with employer needs, as skills gain importance over degrees. Her advice: always keep students at the center and consider their full context. Don't miss this informative look at Catalyze's efforts to spur promising new career-connected learning programs for youth.

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