Press release

A Spotlight on the Future: California Virtual Academies Teaming Up with California Broadcasters Association for New Student-Focused Career Pathways

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The California Virtual Academies (CAVA), a tuition-free online school serving over 17,000 students statewide, has entered into an agreement with the California Broadcasters Association (CBA) to prepare high school students for broadcast careers in Multimedia Production and Multimedia Marketing and Business.

This collaboration will give current CAVA students access to CBA’s vast statewide network of broadcast professionals through virtual and field-based experiences, and an industry-endorsed curriculum that integrates project-based learning with creative, technical and operational insights of over 1000 radio and TV stations. The program is expected to launch in Spring 2021, and each pathway is initially expected to last three years.

“Students will learn about the exciting and dynamic world of digital audio and video,” said CAVA Head of School April Warren. “From story development to on-air news programming, from sales and marketing to engineering and technology, this program will immerse students into the broad professional opportunities of broadcasting. Whether students dream of working in a news room or playing a vital role in station operations, this partnership will highlight broadcast careers in the 21st century.”

Broadcasting and media is a $720 billion dollar a year industry nationwide, and brings in nearly $300 billion to California alone. This new set of career pathways will provide high school students an inside look at the rewarding and well-paying jobs available across the country.

While CBA has worked with state high school students before, this is their first-ever endeavor with a statewide all-virtual school.

“We are excited to partner with CAVA to showcase these career-focused pathways for their students,” said Joe Berry, President/CEO of CBA. “Radio and TV stations are great places to work, and now thousands of students will be able to earn an employment advantage the moment they graduate from high school.”

While the curriculum creation is underway, this new relationship will lead to some immediate connections, including classroom sessions and training exercises with CBA station personnel or participation at the upcoming Arts, Media, and Entertainment Career Fair in the spring semester.

“When you think of California, the broadcast and media industry comes to mind. That’s why having a program to help our students succeed in this important area makes perfect sense,” said Rebecca Mortier, Career Programs High School Principal at CAVA. “This CBA partnership can connect our current students with local industry experts around the state who are engaged with their communities and give our students valuable insight and experience into this exciting world.”

CAVA has been around for over 15 years and offers a personalized approach to learning, delivering rich, engaging curriculum designed to assist students who seek alternative pathways to education.

Even students not interested in this program can find help looking to the future. High school students can participate in the Destinations Career Program where they will discover classes to help them with other potential careers in fields like Business and Finance, Information and Communications Technologies, and Marketing, Sales, and Services. By taking these courses, students can earn college credits, giving them an advantage over other students in their state and potentially saving them thousands of dollars in college tuition costs.

Students choose online school for a variety of reasons including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the ability to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs. The CAVA online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style.

For more information on these exciting new pathways, on CAVA, how to enroll, and a schedule of upcoming events, please visit cava.k12.com/.

About California Virtual Academies

California Virtual Academies are nine independent, tuition-free, online public charter schools that use the curriculum provided by K12 Inc., a Stride Company, (NYSE: LRN), the nation’s leading provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs. The California Virtual Academies are: CAVA @ Fresno, CAVA @ Kings, CAVA @ Los Angeles, CAVA @ Maricopa, CAVA @ San Diego, CAVA @ San Joaquin, CAVA @ San Mateo, CAVA @ Sonoma and CAVA @ Sutter. For more information about CAVA, visit https://cava.k12.com.