Creative promotional product ideas power work-based learning

Two organizations find clever ways to support student education

By Stephanie Lamie

The workforce students will one day join is always evolving. So too are the learning opportunities available to them. A recent movement is work-based learning opens in new window, an approach to education that connects instruction with real-world work experiences. In the past three years, more than 30 states opens in new window have enacted laws to bring work-based learning to more students. Upper Perkiomen High School opens in new window and Junior Achievement^® of Northern Indiana opens in new window are two customers putting creative promotional product ideas to use in support of their missions to prepare students for the future.

Upper Perkiomen students learn design fundamentals

Marketing materials that make the grade

The typical high school experience provides opportunities to learn skills applicable in almost any workplace, including time management opens in new window, critical thinking, communication and working independently. At Upper Perkiomen High School in Red Hill, Pennsylvania, students can add graphic design fundamentals and client-vendor communication to their skillsets.

Amy Lychock, art teacher, leads a popular digital design course for grades 10-12. Students learn fundamental design principles and get experience using Adobe Photoshop^®. The job market for graphic designers is expected to grow steadily into 2030 opens in new window, and digital design students begin preparing for that career path as early as sophomore year. If their path leads elsewhere, the skills they gain remain valuable.

“I think no matter what they’re going to do after high school, students want a creative outlet,” Lychock said. “If they learn to use design programs now and understand the basics of composition, color theory and what makes something visually appealing, it will be a big help. They might make better presentations in college or make a better website if they start a small business. There are so many applications for it.”

One class project involved students designing promotional banners for some of the high school’s student clubs. Designers partnered with four clubs, including student council and the drama club, as if they were clients teaming up with a marketing or design firm. Over about three weeks, designers created drafts, received feedback, revised their work and delivered a finished product. Each club’s design was printed onto retractable banner displays used to attract attention at open houses, meetings and other events.

For students who consume mostly digital media, seeing their creative work printed on laminated vinyl made it feel more significant. “The students loved the project,” Lychock said. “Once they saw their work printed, you could see it on their faces that they were proud. It makes it look professional, and they know it’s going to be used for years and seen by a lot of people.”

Junior Achievement celebrates critical supporters

Tokens of gratitude for game-changing contributions

International nonprofit Junior Achievement is dedicated to giving students, from pre-kindergarten through high school, the knowledge and skills needed for economic success. Its Northern Indiana region—like others around the world—offers volunteer-led in-school programs related to real-world subjects, like financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship.

Powered by thousands of volunteers, Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana provided more than 1.5 million content hours to students across 29 counties during the 2023-24 school year. While work-based learning opportunities like those offered by Junior Achievement are on the rise, there’s still plenty of room for growth. Nearly 80% of high school students opens in new window are interested in participating in work-based learning experiences, yet only 34% are aware of such opportunities for their age group.

Last summer Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana held a groundbreaking for JA Legacy Park in Fort Wayne. The park, which celebrated its opening this spring, honors the individuals, businesses and other contributors that donated to the multiyear JA Next Campaign and helped further work-based learning and other educational efforts. The park includes a quarter-mile walking path decorated with physical displays recognizing influential figures and organizations.

About 100 donors and supporters attended the groundbreaking, and the campaign marketing team created clever donor appreciation gifts with a groundbreaking theme. They filled organza bags with chocolate rocks, tied the bags to metal shovel spoons and put them in coffee mugs with brown tissue paper to represent dirt.

The gifts were distributed to remind recipients for years to come about Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana and its support of work-based learning and other valuable education. It was a small but thoughtful token of gratitude for their investment in the organization’s vision.

Preparing the next generation of workers

Getting students ready for life after high school is critical for their future success. Because work-based learning is a proven strategy to provide real-world experience opens in new window, develop skills, explore careers and improve employment prospects, more communities and organizations are embracing this trend.

Upper Perkiomen High School and Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana are two examples of teams using creative promotional product ideas to support work-based learning efforts. Whether used in classroom lessons or to thank those who support the work, promo products can help make a difference.

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