CAREER READINESS ACADEMY

The Detroit Economic Club’s Career Readiness Academy (CRA) is a six-month program designed to teach career readiness skills to high school students throughout S.E. Michigan.

During this journey, the same team of Young Leaders and students connect to explore topics like future hot jobs, career economics, networking & interview skills, and how to market yourself.

This experience not only provides the opportunity for more personalized attention throughout sessions but also forges important mentor-mentee relationships.

Key Dates:

September – October: Mentor and High School Registration
November: Mentor and School Liaison Orientations
December – May: Program

PROGRAM IMPACT SINCE 2015

FOR SCHOOLS

The DEC Provides:

Standardized Lesson Plans
Interactive Discussion
- In-Person – 90 minutes
Key Takeaways
Pre and Post-Session Activities

School Commitment Expectations:

Identify one representative from the school to serve as our point-of-contact and support system throughout the program.
This representative MUST attend a mandatory orientation in the fall.
Commit to 8 monthly sessions (90 minutes) from December – May.
Commit the same 10-15 students for the duration of the program.
Ensure students attend each session.
Ensure one school liaison is present for each session.
Ensure brief homework assignments are completed in a timely fashion.
Ensure a room and A/V are ready for each session.
Provide transportation to 3 of the 8 sessions outside the school.

FOR MENTORS

How Do I Get Assigned to a School/Team?
The DEC will best match you to a school based on various factors (e.g., profession, city, volunteer need, etc.). Sessions are typically 1.5 hours around lunchtime on Fridays.

Mentor Commitment Expectations:

Maintain an active Young Leader membership.
Attend a mandatory orientation in November.
Participate in prep calls with your YL volunteer team before each session to review the curriculum and prepare for upcoming sessions.
Attend eight (8) sessions at the high school or a field trip location between December and May.
Returning Mentors have the opportunity to serve as a CRA Captain.

2025 - 2026 CRA

Participating High Schools

AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School (Southfield)
Aim High School (Farmington Hills)
Central Academy (Ann Arbor)
Cousino High School (Warren)
Dakota High School (Macomb)
Frontier International Academy (Detroit)
Golightly Career & Technical Center (Detroit)
Hazel Park High School (Hazel Park)
International Academy East (Troy)
International Academy of Macomb (Macomb)
Madison High School (Madison Heights)
Melvindale High School (Melvindale)
Michael Berry Career Center (Dearborn)
Pershing High School (Detroit)
Rochester ACE (Rochester)
Warren Woods High School (Warren)
Western International High School (Detroit)

Session 1: CRA Intro, Hot Industries & Personal Brand (Field Trip)

Session Overview: Designed to provide an understanding of what a personal brand is, what impacts it, and how to use it for your future.

Session 2: Career Assessment

Session Overview: Designed for students to understand ways to explore careers and the range of careers. Also, to develop an awareness of how society and technology may impact future careers.

Session 3: Career Exploration

Session Overview: Designed to further support students in their career exploration while examining career economics, career education/training, personal budgets and the impact of choices.

Session 4: Resumes & LinkedIn

Session Overview: Designed to assist students signing up for a LinkedIn account, building out of their profile page and understanding the value of both LinkedIn and resumes.

Session 5: High Demand Fields Experience (Field Trip)

Session Overview: Designed to expose students to the vast opportunities in advanced manufacturing, skilled trades and emergency services. This session is made possible by the generous staff at Oakland Community College (OCC) – Auburn Hills Campus.

Session 6: Financial Literacy

Session Overview: Designed to provide students an understanding of basic money principles, learn key spending, understand the types of debt and how they are related to life and, gain awareness of student loans and student aid.

Session 7: Interview Skills & Networking

Session Overview: Designed to support students with an understanding of the benefits of an elevator pitch and how to prepare for an interview.

Session 8: Graduation at a DEC Meeting (Field Trip)

Session Overview: Designed for the students to utilize the skills they learned during the 6-month career exploration program by networking.

The meeting begins with a student-only reception with the speaker(s) of the day. This is followed by lunch and the program. After the program, students will have the opportunity to network with DEC members.

CRA Committee

Dorian Hooker– Chair
AAA-The Auto Club Group

Autumn Hegner – Vice Chair
USI Insurance Services

Jaylen Bradley
City of Detroit’s Mayor’s Office

Graeme Carlyle
Comerica Bank

Kayla Dafoe
SpaceX

Matthew Warren
Western Governors University

Michael Zlonkevicz
Google

THANK YOU TO THE 2025 - 2026 CRA SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO THE 2025 - 2026 CRA PARTNERS

Be The First to Know About Next Year’s Career Readiness Academy

Interested in participating in the 2026-2027 Career Readiness Academy? Add your name to our interest list to receive updates and be notified as soon as the next application cycle opens in September 2026.