Arizona (October 22, 2024) - Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) is committed to bringing Aizonans to build a brighter future through survey research, data, education, workforce, and civic engagement initiatives. With the vision of "The Arizona We Want"—a state with world-class education, vibrant communities, rewarding jobs, and preserved natural beauty—CFA turns ideas into action to ensure this vision becomes a reality for all.
In alignment with this mission, CFA has partnered with Edge Factor to provide Arizona’s students with tools to explore and prepare for careers in high-demand industries. This partnership focuses on equipping students with the skills needed to succeed and lead in the future.
Supporting Arizona Educators and Students
As part of this partnership, Edge Factor has created 25 Career Profile Junior videos highlighting various careers, including Agricultural Engineer, Computer Support Specialist, Social Worker, Residential HVAC, Software Developer, and many more that span the Healthcare, Construction, and Manufacturing industries.
Educators can present and share Career Profiles Junior to introduce Kindergarten to grade 5 students to careers, featuring people and stories from across Arizona sharing insights on what a 'day in the life' looks like for them and the types of tools and equipment they use on the job.
In partnership with Edge Factor, Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) has created engaging content to introduce Kindergarten through Grade 5 students to career exploration. By aligning career media with the Lenses of the Future curriculum, CFA is providing educators with powerful, story-driven tools to integrate real-world career insights into their classrooms.
“Early exposure to diverse career pathways is critical in shaping the futures of Arizona’s young learners. Through this partnership with Edge Factor, we’re helping to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world opportunities, inspiring students to explore careers that align with their interests and talents. By integrating career exploration into K-5 education, we are empowering educators to nurture the next generation of innovators and leaders,” said Cindy Erwin, Director of College and Career Pathways at CFA.
The digitized curriculum integrates Edge Factor videos into lesson plans, specifically designed to meet the needs of K-5 learners. The Explorers series introduces students to diverse careers, while the Pet Factor series focuses on developing critical soft skills. Both series are designed to bring real-world stories into the classroom, enhancing the learning experience and making complex concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) more accessible and exciting for younger students.
By aligning these videos with the excellent Lenses of the Future curriculum, CFA helps educators easily incorporate them into their lesson plans. This alignment supports educational standards while keeping students engaged and saves teachers time on material preparation, allowing them to focus more on teaching.
“Extraordinary people are working together, behind closed doors in companies across Arizona. Every day, families drive past these buildings with little to no idea of what’s going on inside,” said Larissa Hofman, Vice President of Edge Factor. “Using the power of storytelling, together with CFA, this content and curriculums are equipping Arizona educators to show young students what it’s like to work in real-world industries and companies. Students meet real people in real careers, sharing insights on their career journeys and skills.”
This collaboration between Edge Factor and CFA equips educators with the tools to cultivate curiosity, build essential skills, and inspire the next generation of thinkers and doers—all within a well-structured, easy-to-use framework.
Learn more about Edge Factor
If you are interested in learning more about what an Edge Factor membership can unlock, create your free account or Book a Demo.
Email: info@edgefactor.com or message us on the Live Chat. We’d love to hear from you.
About Center for the Future of Arizona
Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan "do-tank" that brings Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for our state. Through its survey research & communications, Arizona Progress Meters, and impact initiatives & programs in education, workforce, and civic health, CFA listens to Arizonans to learn what matters most to them, shares trusted data about how Arizona is doing in those priority areas, brings critical issues to public attention, and works with communities and leaders to solve public problems.
To learn more about building student college and career readiness contact:
Cindy Erwin, Director of College and Career Pathways Cindy.erwin@arizonafuture.org │ 480.280.8533