Introducing Insight: Closing the Education-Workforce Gap for Neurodivergent Youth

Cogrounded is excited to share the culmination of years of work: Insight Career Training, a comprehensive curriculum and mentorship framework designed to close the education-workforce gap through meaningful, structured learning.

The transition from high school to the adult workforce is a critical milestone, yet many transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and neurodivergence face significant barriers to finding and keeping meaningful employment. Meanwhile, decision-makers across the transition ecosystem struggle with a lack of industry-aligned materials to prepare these students for real-world careers.

Insight emerged from a deep commitment to connecting education with industry. By providing a structured, evidence-based framework, Insight enables schools, agencies, and employers to build sustainable mentorship relationships and prepare students to transition successfully from learning to earning.

The Fruit of Rigorous Research and Development

This program represents a powerful partnership between educational institutions and community organizations. Developed over several years of rigorous research and testing in partnership with the College of Education at Michigan State University and the Supporting Transition & Employment Pathways (STEP) Research Lab at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, Insight is a fully-developed, ready to teach, two-semester curriculum:

• Insight Launch (Mastering Job Acquisition): A 30-session program entirely focused on the practical skills needed to find, secure, and start a job. Launch guides learners through the complete job acquisition process, from identifying personal strengths to mastering behavioral interviews.
• Insight Ascend (Ensuring Job Retention): While technical skills help a student get a job, “soft skills” help them keep it. Ascend is a 30-session program addressing the critical social and emotional competencies required for long-term job retention, such as conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and teamwork.

What Makes Insight Unique for Communities

Insight was designed specifically for education program leaders, workforce development professionals, and community organizations. It eliminates the heavy lifting of building programs from scratch while delivering key benefits to the entire community:

• Work-Based Learning & Mentorship: Insight acts as a bridge between education and employment. It partners with local businesses to provide mentorship, equipping employers to cultivate a diverse, inclusive workforce while giving students real-world guidance.
• The “Big Ten” Experiential Learning Model: Insight utilizes ten validated teaching strategies, including video modeling, role-play, and self-reflection, tailored specifically to be effective for neurodivergent learners.
• Compliance and Alignment: The curriculum maps directly to National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Standards and generates the tangible assessment data schools and agencies need for transition planning and federal funding requirements.

Insight is more than a curriculum; it is an ecosystem where educators, community agencies, and employer partners collaborate to champion the lifelong success of neurodivergent learners. And through our partnership with SuccessABILITY, we are working to expand workforce training to Michigan schools through access to Insight.

Insight Launch and Ascend are available now. Email Gary Abud Jr. at info@insightcareertraining.org to explore how Insight fits with your existing transition or workforce development program.