Project Next is dedicated to helping students receive personalized career coaching, hands-on experiences, and direct industry connections by establishing Future Centers within high schools. Their services empower students to make informed decisions about their next steps—whether that involves attending college, pursuing technical training, entering apprenticeships, joining the military or going directly into the workforce. Project Next ensures that students not only graduate but also navigate their future paths with clarity, confidence and valuable connections. We spoke with Lisa Stout, the Executive Director, who shared insights into how Project Next is preparing the future workforce.
Can You Talk About Some of the Challenges Our Community Faces and How You’re Working to Overcome It?
San Diego’s workforce is evolving, yet too many high school students graduate without clarity on their next steps—not because they lack talent, but because they lack access. Career exposure, mentorship, and real-world connections are out of reach for many students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. The result? A lost workforce pipeline—students who stall, settle, or enter low-wage jobs without advancement opportunities while local industries struggle to find skilled talent.
Can you tell Me More About the Programs You Offer?
Our work happens through three student-centered programs:
Ambassadors – The Project Next Ambassador Program empowers high school students to develop leadership, professional, and networking skills while serving as a bridge between their peers and Future Center resources. Ambassadors participate in personal development workshops, career exploration events, and outreach activities, gaining firsthand experience in communication, collaboration, and public speaking.
Focused Futures – The Focused Futures program is designed to help first-generation, low-income students navigate the often overwhelming path to college by providing personalized mentorship, hands-on support and critical resources every step of the way. From exploring career pathways, majors, and colleges to completing FAFSA, scholarship applications and college essays.
Xcelerate – The Xcelerate Program aims to destigmatize non-college pathways by exposing students to stable careers that don’t require a four-year degree. It challenges the notion that entering the workforce immediately after high school leads to low-wage jobs by introducing students to trades, apprenticeships, vocational training and local businesses offering competitive wages and benefits.
Why is Workforce Development Important to Your Organization’s Mission?
Workforce development is at the heart of everything we do. Students are not just preparing for graduation; they’re preparing for the next 40+ years of their lives. For too long, education and workforce development have existed in separate silos. But in reality, they are deeply connected. If we want a stronger, more resilient economy, we must ensure that young people graduate with a plan, a skill set and a pathway that aligns with workforce needs.
Project Next sits at the intersection of education and economic development—bridging the gap between what students learn in school and what industries need. By working inside schools and alongside businesses, Project Next ensures that students don’t just enter the workforce—they enter it prepared, motivated, and ready to contribute.
How Else is Project Next Impacting the Community?
Beyond preparing individual students, Project Next strengthens San Diego’s workforce pipeline by ensuring every young person—regardless of background—has a clear and supported path to opportunities and success.
- Closing opportunity gaps by providing career exposure and guidance to historically underserved students.
- Strengthening local industries by connecting students to in-demand careers in San Diego’s key sectors.
- Creating a culture of career readiness within schools by working alongside educators, administrators, and local businesses.
Our work ensures that students, schools, and industries are working together to create a future-ready workforce. When students succeed, our local industries, businesses, and communities thrive.
How Can San Diegans Get Involved?
San Diego’s future workforce is sitting in high school classrooms right now—and they need real-world guidance and connections to take that next step. By investing in their future, we invest in San Diego’s future. There are so many ways to support Project Next and the future workforce of San Diego:
- Becoming a mentor – Share your career journey and advice with A 30-minute conversation could change a student’s life.
- Hosting a workplace visit – Help students explore careers in action and experience your industry firsthand.
- Speaking at an event – Share your journey and inspire the next generation at our networking and connect to careers events.
- Advocating for career readiness – Spread the word about Project Next and the need for programs like ours.
- Making a financial gift to support our programs and Future Centers – Your support fuels direct student impact.
What Else Do You Want the Community to Know About Project Next?
For us, NEXT isn’t just a word—it’s a movement. We’re illuminating pathways, sparking curiosity, and empowering students to envision AND achieve what’s next in their lives. And our approach isn’t one-size-fits-all. When clarity, confidence, and connections intersect, we help turn what’s “NEXT” for these students from a question mark into an exclamation point.