What's New at HirePaths
From classroom resources to guides for parents covering a slew of topics, we’re always thinking about what content will help you most.
Now, as the program manager for HirePaths, I’m a bit biased, but I have to say: We’ve recently added some of our best stuff yet — and at quite a volume! Here’s a rundown of our newest content.
(And, of course, everything we produce is always free.)
30 Free Lesson Plans for Teachers
We partnered with 10 educators from across Kansas who served as HirePaths Teacher Ambassadors during the 2023-204 school year. Each Ambassador created three lesson plans to help you bring career exploration into your classroom. With the addition of these 30 new plans, we now have a large library for you to use. Plans are available for every grade from preschool through high school, so we’re certain you’ll find something to try with your students.
Browse and download lesson plans
Four Cool Careers Episodes
Especially popular with older elementary and middle school students, our Cool Careers series is hosted by Kansas kids and features exciting, in-demand careers across the state. In each episode, we highlight one job: what it entails, how to get started and more. Season four just dropped, so check out these new episodes:
In this episode, Cool Careers Correspondent Aidan visits Labette Health in Parsons to learn about the job of a human resources specialist in a regional hospital. He meets Ashley, the hospital’s human resources director, and learns about her role in recruiting and hiring employees — as well as all she does to keep employees happy and growing in their careers.
Episode #22: Emergency Dispatcher
If you dial 911, who answers the call? In this episode, Cool Careers Correspondent Nikaela visits the Kansas City Kansas Police Department’s Emergency Dispatch Unit and meets Jaz, a veteran dispatcher. Come along on this virtual field trip to a police dispatch unit to see what goes on behind the scenes!
Episode #23: Commercial Driver
Ever want to try driving a heavy tractor-trailer? In this episode, Cool Careers Correspondent Makenzie gets to take a spin with the help of Tyler, a commercial driver for Crossland Heavy Contractors, and the educators at Fort Scott Community College. Learn about professional driving and how you could make this a career someday!
Episode #24: IT Network Installer
Everyone knows the internet is worldwide, but how is it connected to your house, school or workplace? In this episode, Cool Careers Correspondent Gavin travels to Columbus to see how the team at Optic Communications installs internet service into a home. He meets Jessi, a network installer, and learns about fiber optics and why kids should consider this in-demand career!
Worksheets for Each Cool Careers Episode
To make the Cool Careers series even more impactful, we’ve developed a worksheet to accompany each episode. Available in both English and Spanish, the worksheets ensure your students are paying attention and will help them retain the information.
Find the worksheets on each episode’s page.
YouTube Shorts
While Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn are great ways for us to stay connected with our young adults, parents, teachers and caregivers — hopefully you’re following us there! — we know younger students favor video platforms, often in short and sweet doses. That’s why we’re now producing videos for YouTube Shorts. Encourage the kids in your life to subscribe to our channel, watch our videos and leave a comment with any questions.
Career Exploration Professional Development Recording
We recently hosted our first professional development session for teachers, and it was a blast! The event was tailored to preschool through middle school educators and featured speakers like Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson, four of our previous HirePaths Teacher Ambassadors and more. If you’re looking for tangible tips, check out the recorded event. Bonus: Once you’ve watched, you can download a certificate of completion for continuing education credit.
Watch the Professional Development Recording
Whew! What a list. We’re thrilled with this new content, and we hope you are too. If you have ideas for other helpful resources we can produce, please shoot us an email at [email protected]. We always love to hear from you.
Addie Justus is the program manager for HirePaths, a campaign to inspire Kansas kids to establish a high-demand career in Kansas. She is also a senior content marketer at New Boston Creative Group LLC, an integrated marketing communications firm based in Manhattan. Born and raised in Kansas, Ms. Justus is passionate about workforce development and seeing our state grow.
