Edge Factor Online Learning & Career Exploration Tools

Over a decade ago, Edge Factor was established and the release of our first film, The Beginnings was widely applauded. But our vision became more clear when Mike Fitzpatrick, a manufacturing educator and college professor called and said, "I just played your film in my classroom. A student came up to me and said, "I had no idea this is what manufacturing looked like - I now know what I want to do with my life." And he changed his major."

That moment marked the true birth of Edge Factor. We use the power of cinematic storytelling to take students and people on a journey from "I have no idea what I want to do with my life" to discovering industries, careers, CTE/ SHSM, and postsecondary programs, Soft Skills, STEAM, and local opportunities.  Since our first film, we have produced thousands of films, videos, and interactive activities that highlight every industry and deliver these tools through our platform.

Edge Factor equips educators, workforce leaders, and families with age-appropriate e-learning multimedia experiences. We have created thousands of learning objects with accompanying lesson plans and interactive activities - and we are adding new content daily! 

Everyone Has a Role to Play in Workforce Development 

When it comes to workforce development, everyone has a role to play. Edge Factor equips Elementary and Middle School students to learn about soft skills and discover technical education programs.  High school educators and students gain access to thousands of e-learning tools, videos, activities, and lesson plans. Post Secondary Training and institutions can access the Edge Factor platform to host engaging live or virtual events to promote school programs.  Businesses, and Workforce Development leaders get equipped with tools to showcase local opportunities through virtual & live events, and media creation. 

The Edge Factor Career Journey

Edge Factor's tools are categorized into 4 phases of the Career Journey: Inspiration, Exploration, Preparation, and Connection.

Inspiration is all about helping students and job-seekers get excited about their future and using the power of storytelling to open up their eyes to new possibilities. Edge Factor creates award winning films, short stories and documentaries that showcase teams of people working together to impact the world. 

Career exploration media helps learners and job-seekers dig deeper to explore what it's like to work in diverse industries and careers. Exploration includes Education Pathways, Industry Pathways, hundreds of Career Profiles that showcase what a "day in the life" looks like in specific careers, Virtual Workplace Experiences, and more!

The purpose of Edge Factor's Preparation content is to help prepare for future success - at work and in life! We have videos, lesson plans, and assignable activities that teach students about Soft Skills, Financial Literacy, and how Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) come alive in real world careers.

Alignment to Curriculum and Programs in Various School Districts

Every community is unique. Edge Factor partners with Community Leaders to understand the workforce development challenges your community stakeholders face, and create strategic, integrated solutions and action plans, catered to meet your needs. 

The ingredients for these strategies include community access to Edge Factor’s platform, Live Events, producing local multimedia content to tell your community’s stories, and empowering your leaders to monitor and track the metrics of these strategies. Edge Factor has partnered with communities across North America to inspire students to pursue local career pathways, reach parents, and spark relationships between business and education in schools, companies, homes, and at events.

The team of Educators and Learning Experience Creators at Edge Factor have aligned the media, activities, and lesson plans to the curriculums and programs in various school districts. 

Our K-Grey strategic tools are aligned to specific age clusters

At Edge Factor we believe the career exploration journey should begin at a young age.  To support this we have aligned and partnered with community leaders to equip K-12 educators with resources to help students make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and how it relates to real world careers. As you browse through Edge Factor’s library you’ll explore award winning documentaries, films and short stories that inspire career exploration. 

Educators can take students in Grades 5 & 6 on an exploratory adventure to learn how Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math are used in real world careers. Students in Grades 7  & 8, Navigate careers as industry leaders share an overview of their career, talk about the tools, equipment, skills and processes they use, Soft Skills come alive on-the-job. Grade 9 -12 students can go behind closed doors to experience walk-and-talk tours of companies across every industry. These virtual field trips provide an authentic look at diverse work environments, careers, tools and equipment, soft skills, and more. There are many other videos and learning tools available that support the career exploration journey at every age and stage that include hearing from industry professionals, learning from mistakes and Keynote Presentations for virtual events. 

The Edge Factor team’s “Listen, Learn, Do, Re-Do” mantra allows us to customize our solutions for each community we work in, and at times, re-do and course correct when we see ways we can build on regional initiatives, based on the unique needs of a community and the feedback we receive.

Edge Factor Presentation Toolkits

Every month Edge Factor provides free toolkits to celebrate Career Awareness Days. Access ready-to-use toolkits filled with videos, activities, and resources for events like Engineering Week and Rock MFG Day. Each toolkit is curated to engage students and job seekers in career exploration and make your presentations easy and impactful.

A Media Kit to Power Career Exploration Presentations

Get access to tools that help you:

• Connect Students to Real Workplaces
  Provide virtual tours and authentic insights from professionals in diverse industries. 
  
  
• Spark Career Conversations 
  

  Encourage students to ask questions, reflect on their experiences, and connect learning to future goals. 

• Equip Educators & Families
  Access ready-to-use guides and resources that make hosting career day events simple and impactful.

Edge Factor Memberships Equip Communities 

Edge Factor’s cloud-based, membership-based platform delivers high-impact media and interactive tools, designed for every community stakeholder to consume and contribute content to schools, businesses, homes, and events across North America. This framework is the solution to connect students and parents with local businesses and educational pathways to understand the careers available, right in their own backyard.

An Edge Factor membership is an annual licence that equips your school, company or organization with: 

• Online learning tools for schools that include creating classrooms and assigning activities to students
  
  
• Tools to promote companies and careers in various industries
  
  
• Family friendly videos that showcase careers & training program
  
  
• Customizable career pathway tools that reflect local opportunities 
  
  
• Media creation - Edge Factor travels across North America to capture stories in your community that will inspire the next generation. 
  

Edge Factor Premium Members also benefit from:

• Access to Help Desk articles to ensure members are familiar with important features
  
  
• Support services from our dynamic and knowledgeable Support Team 
  
  
• Students and educators can access Edge Factor's e-learning platform on any wifi-connected device
  
  
• Log in easily with Google, Clever, and D2L/Brightspace integration

You are invited to be part of this and do something in your community. Our greatest passion is partnering with schools and businesses in communities to understand the challenges they are facing and help provide solutions to inspire students, recruit the next workforce, bring technical education and skills trades into the limelight, reach parents and make STEAM learning concepts relevant.

About Edge Factor 

Edge Factor equips educators and inspires students and job seekers with the largest known library of career multimedia. Our platform offers story-driven, age-appropriate content, interactive activities, and digital badges designed for use in classrooms, events, homes, and on the go. With 5500+ tools in 21 languages, we empower millions of K-12+ students and educators across the US and Canada to explore, prepare, and connect on their career journey.

If you are interested in learning more about what an Edge Factor membership can unlock, create your free account or book your demo today.