Bridging Worlds: Getting Ready to Take Business Back to School (Summit 8.0 Pre-event Webinar)

This webinar is for registered attendees of Summit 8.0 only. Learn more and register for Summit 8.0.

Overview:

Before we walk the halls of Overton High School in Nashville, let’s take a guided tour of the world of school—and explore how it connects to the systems shaping CTE nationally.

This 60-minute virtual session will prepare business and industry association leaders for the full 2025 Workforce through CTE Annual Summit experience.

We’ll help you “speak education-ese,” understand what to look for during classroom visits, and see how the structures that support employer engagement also inform the Coalition’s broader work in policy, credentials, and student leadership.

You’ll leave ready to step into both days of the Summit confident, curious, and prepared to recognize how local partnerships connect to national systems that drive student and workforce success.

What We’ll Cover

• The World of School & Work Bridge: How CTE and business partners collaborate to make learning relevant and career-connected.
• The Blueprint for Powerful Partnerships: Introduction to Ford NGL’s framework and how it shapes both the Overton experience and the Coalition’s systems-level strategy.
• Profile of a Highly Effective Business Partner: Key behaviors, mindsets, and practices that distinguish strong industry partners in education.
• What to Expect at Overton High School: What to observe during classroom visits, how to engage with students and educators, and how these partnerships reflect national frameworks.
• How Day 2 Builds on Day 1: Preview of the CTSO roundtable, CTE policy update, and Credentialing Committee product reveal—and how these connect classroom practice to policy and systems change.