ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026: Full Schedule

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11:15am EDT

Beyond Internships: A Proven Model for Scaling Work-Based Learning

Wednesday September 16, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT

Internships are valuable, but they cannot be the only pathway to meaningful work-based learning. If colleges want more students to engage with industry, they need scalable approaches that embed authentic, employer-connected experiences into the curriculum without creating additional administrative burden for faculty.

This interactive Learning Lab explores the Student-Led Agency model, a proven approach implemented at UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship to connect students with real businesses through course-aligned, project-based experiences. Participants will examine how a consistent framework can help institutions expand work-based learning across courses and departments while preserving faculty autonomy and aligning experiences with academic outcomes.

The session will focus on practical strategies for increasing student access, strengthening employer and community engagement, supporting faculty implementation, and creating measurable evidence of student learning and impact.

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how postsecondary institutions can move beyond isolated internships and individual faculty efforts toward a more scalable, repeatable, and measurable institutional strategy to work-based learning.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Eloy Garza

Founder & CEO, Career Bridge

I am the founder and CEO of Career Bridge, a work-based learning platform designed to make meaningful, career-connected experiences easier to create, manage, measure, and scale. My journey began as a high school CTE marketing teacher, where I developed the Student-Led Agency model... Read More →

Wednesday September 16, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Washington B Hyatt Regency | 2799 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA

Learning Lab

1:15pm EDT

Behind the Certification: From Job Task Analysis to Career-Ready Credentials

Wednesday September 16, 2026 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT

Regency EF

Discover what goes into developing a credible certification exam—from the Job Task Analysis (JTA) and exam blueprint to the final assessment. This Learning Lab explores how certifications validate job-related knowledge and skills, their value in the hiring process, and the important difference between a certification and a certificate.

Sponsored by:

Wednesday September 16, 2026 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
Regency EF Hyatt Regency | 2799 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA

Learning Lab

ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026

11:15am EDT

Eloy Garza

1:15pm EDT

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