Launched from a Bay Area charter school, Ridgeline aims to close the divide between high school and employment by offering local students genuine workplace exposure prior to selecting their direction

/PRNewswire/ -- Ridgeline, a new nonprofit incubated at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, links Bay Area students during key transition periods before and after high school to paid work-based learning, industry credentials and career pathways in growing sectors. Beginning with initiatives in healthcare and maritime fields, Ridgeline has teamed with Kaiser Permanente, Contra Costa College, the Working Waterfront Coalition and over 20 local high schools to equip students with the abilities, networks and career insight required to succeed in the modern job market.

Over half of recent college graduates hold positions that do not need a degree, and nearly half stay underemployed ten years later. At the same time, more than 4 million young Americans ages 16 to 24 are neither employed nor enrolled in school, with three-quarters holding a high school diploma or some college experience. The figures indicate that too many students reach college lacking the guidance or practical experience to fully benefit from their education.

"Too many students face major choices about their future without any direct workplace experience, so their decisions on college or careers are not truly informed," said Patrick O'Donnell, co-founder and CEO of Ridgeline. "Schools alone were not built to follow changing job market needs, create work-based learning with employers, guide students through exploration or provide direct internship and job placements. We created Ridgeline to handle these tasks."

The concept for Ridgeline originated at Making Waves, a public charter school and college success nonprofit in Richmond focused on first-generation students through college and into careers. Making Waves has a strong history with 96 percent of graduates enrolling in college and carrying under $2,000 in average college debt. The organization started broadening its approach to support alumni success by testing career exploration and work-based learning programs that provided real exposure to high-demand areas before students committed. Interest surged, with applications exceeding spots by three to four times across programs and drawing participants from more than 20 Bay Area high schools.

"For thirty years, Making Waves has achieved something notable by sending first-generation students to college at rates few schools match. Yet student interests are shifting, and they seek our support to consider broader options for their future," said Alton B. Nelson, Jr., the CEO of Making Waves Academy. "Ridgeline responds with a fresh type of organization designed to connect students to careers as effectively as we have linked them to college."

This summer, Ridgeline will grow its healthcare career pathway, which has already served more than 125 Bay Area high schoolers in prior groups, and introduce its new maritime career pathway. Programs starting in July include the HealthWorks Certified Nursing Assistant program and the Hands-On Deck maritime career intensive.

"Ridgeline offers students a genuine view of how healthcare functions beyond a simple career day," said Lori Blok, Program Director, Nuclear Medicine, at Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences. "These students arrive with real interest in the field and eagerness to engage. This marks my second year with Patrick and his team, and I return because their work helps students, patients and the community alike."

For more information, please visit ridgelinepathways.org.

About Ridgeline

Ridgeline connects young people aged 16-22 to high-wage careers while linking employers to prepared talent. Incubated by Making Waves Education Foundation, Ridgeline works with employers, colleges and high schools to build career pathways based on employer needs and delivers them via career exploration, paid work-based learning, credentialing and internship and job placements. Beginning in healthcare and maritime, Ridgeline serves students from 20-plus San Francisco Bay Area high schools. Learn more at ridgelinepathways.org.

SOURCE Ridgeline