Two out of three students take a different path. Almost no one tells them what those paths are.
Next Steps brings employers, apprenticeships, technical colleges, trade schools, and military programs into the room, live, twice a year.
of the Class of 2024 headed to a four-year college.
of parents say they're well-informed about the options that aren't a four-year degree: associate degrees, certificates, apprenticeships, or military service.
Which one are you?
Find out what you were never told
Your student has five real options after high school. Spend one lunch break hearing about all of them from the people doing the work.
Host it during lunch
One screen, one lunch period, nothing to prepare. We bring the speakers and the industry partners. You press play.
Be the voice of your industry
Host a breakout room. Bring your journey-level pros. Talk to families at the moment they're deciding what comes next.
Five paths. Real people. One session.
A 20-minute keynote, then live breakout rooms where families talk directly with professionals working in each field. Not a pamphlet. A conversation.
Military
Every branch, plus the training, benefits, and civilian careers that follow service.
Technical college
Tuition-free programs, job placement, and transfer agreements across 22 Georgia colleges.
Apprenticeships
Four- and five-year registered programs. Earn a wage from day one, finish without debt.
Trade schools
Focused programs measured in weeks, not years: welding, HVAC, and other licensed trades.
Straight to work
Employers hiring now and training on the job. No credential required to start.
Noon works, because everybody eats.
Students are at lunch. Educators have a free period. Parents are on their break at work. One session, three ways in, and nobody has to take time off to be there.
Parents, on your lunch break
Eat at your desk and listen. You don't need to have the answers, you just need to know what the questions are. Ask a working electrician what the job actually pays and what your student would have to do to get there.
Students, during school lunch
Watch on the classroom screen while you eat. Five industries, real people, and you can ask them anything without a counselor appointment or a permission slip.
Educators, in your classroom
Open it on the screen and let it run. No prep, no presenting, no budget line. We send you one flyer to pass along to your families and that is the whole lift.
How a session runs
There is almost nothing to it
- A screenSmartboard, laptop, or the phone in your hand.
- Your lunch breakStay for twenty minutes or the full ninety. Both are fine.
- No cost, everFree to families, free to schools, free to districts.
One flyer covers it. Educators send the same page home that parents receive, so there is nothing extra to print or explain.
Kayleen McCabe
Kayleen was a builder long before she was a host. A licensed general contractor with more than two decades in construction, she started in television as a set framer and carpenter and never really left. She hosted five seasons of Rescue Renovation, voices SkillsUSA's national PSA campaign, and founded The McCabe Foundation.
She helped start Next Steps and still opens every session herself, twice a year, at no charge to any school.
Your family talks to these people directly
Every organization below has hosted a breakout room. Ask them anything: what the work is like, what it pays, how you get in.
Trusted by CTAE leadership
I would encourage schools to consider offering Next Steps Webinars to parents of students who are interested and have an aptitude for careers in the construction field. Learning about the vast opportunities in construction may spark some interest.
I would like to enthusiastically recommend The Ultimate Guide to Career Options & Choices for parents and high school students.
A great resource for our parents and The Cobb CTAE looks forward to working with the Next Steps Webinars again in the spring.
The rooms only open once.
The breakout rooms are live and they are the whole point. A recording cannot answer a question.
- Five industries in the room, one for each path
- Ask anything, directly, with no sales pitch attached
- Register once and we send the link, a reminder, and the partner contact sheet afterward
Be the voice of your industry
Host a breakout room and talk to families at the exact moment they're deciding what comes next.
- Bring your journey-level pros, recent grads, or recruiters
- You don't need to be currently hiring
- Logo and link on our site, plus recognition in the main session
Governed by the people who work in this system
Next Steps is run by a volunteer board drawn from the institutions our students actually move through. Nobody here is selling anything.
Georgia Dept. of Education
Former state CTAE leadership
Technical College System of Georgia
22 colleges, 88 campuses statewide
Trade associations
Mechanical, electrical, sheet metal, and general contracting
District leadership
CTAE directors and school administrators
Industry
Contractors hiring into these careers today
Real resources, real connections
To provide genuine, valuable resources to parents, students, and educators, and connect them with the employers and training programs building the pipeline for their future workforce.
Who we are
Next Steps Webinars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit partnering with local school districts to help students and families understand every career opportunity available after high school. We've been doing it since 2021, and it has always been free.
