Professional Prep Academy, Discover career passion. Learn life skills.



Virtual internships to help high school students discover a career passion and learn 21st-century skills.


Virtual internships during and after the pandemic

During a time when in-person internships just aren't possible, our virtual internships provide valuable, real-world experiences from the safety of home.

The Professional Prep Academy, developed by Socratic Arts, is a program for high schools that offers a wide range of virtual internships to help students discover a career passion and learn life skills.

Work-based learning is the cornerstone of a quality Career Technical Education (CTE) program; it is too valuable to be lost in the wake of COVID-19.

Virtual internships are realistic, mentored, learn-by-doing experiences that can be delivered 100% online or as hybrid experiences. And they are turnkey, meaning they require minimal school effort during the pandemic and completely eliminate:

  • Recruiting and training employers to provide internships.
  • Finding student transportation to and from worksites.
  • Potentially putting students at risk in face-to-face work situations.
  • Students missing out due to socioeconomic hardships or where they live.

Skills training for highly-paid, in-demand careers

PPA offers virtual internships in five high-paying, high-demand career areas. Completing multiple experiences in an area equates to a virtual apprenticeship that will help students to prepare to successfully take on in-demand jobs.

Health Sciences

  • Internal Medicine
  • Forensic Detective
  • Mystery Diagnosis

Entrepreneurship

  • Idea Workshop
  • Product/Service Definition
  • Business Essentials
  • Think Like an Investor
  • Write a Business Plan

Software Development

  • Intro to Website Development
  • Intro to JavaScript
  • Mobile Web App Development
  • Java 1
  • Java 2

Cybersecurity

  • Insider Threat
  • Exploit a Website
  • Analyze Malicious Network Traffic
  • Analyze a Remote Intrusion Attempt

Data Analytics

  • Intro to Data Analytics: Machine Learning & Sentiment Analysis
  • Machine Learning with Python

Detailed Course Descriptions - PDF PPA Courses w/ descriptions (PDF).


Our Story-Centered approach makes the difference

PPA virtual internships use our Story-Centered approach to learning that immerses students in real-life situations where they complete real work, on real deliverables, that have real impact. Students get to work alongside real professionals and get a taste of what their job actually entails.

Our Story-Centered approach has been used successfully for more than 20 years, with more than 100,000 students at world-class universities, the US government, and Fortune 100 companies around the world.

What makes our internships different:

  • Developed with extensive input from industry and academic subject-matter experts.
  • A rich and engaging story that mirrors real-world, work situations.
  • Students play a central role working individually, or on a team, to achieve meaningful goals over a series of tasks.
  • Learners are expected to produce the same work products that professionals produce.
  • A wide range of in-depth learning resources.
  • Expert mentors are always available to provide help, advice, and feedback.
  • Mentors coach students until they master the knowledge and skills required by the current task before allowing them to proceed to the next.
  • Students are trained in critical soft skills, including: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, scientific reasoning, self-directed learning, researching and synthesizing multiple sources of information, and common workplace behaviors and values.
  • By taking multiple courses in a related area, students can amass an impressive portfolio of work they can use to showcase their skills during job or college interviews.

PPA program requirements

  • Because PPA Virtual Internships involve solving complex problems, 4x4 block schedules with class sessions of 80-90 minutes are required for meaningful learning. Shorter class periods do not provide a productive experience.
  • Students must devote a total of 15 hours available per week, in and out of school.
  • A minimum of 2.5 Mbps of Internet bandwidth are required at school and home to support online video learning resources and meetings.

Partner with us to help today's high-school students find their career passions.

For more information:
ppa@socraticarts.com

Partner with us to help today's high-school students find their career passions.

For more information:
ppa@socraticarts.com

Socratic Arts, Inc.

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