Youth Education · High school & alternative education

Preparing Students for Life Beyond the Classroom

Drive Forward Academy partners with high schools, alternative schools, and youth-serving organizations to deliver practical education that prepares students for adulthood, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity.

Our courses and experiences give young people practical skills, tangible resources, and greater exposure to the opportunities available to them.

Our courses

Practical Learning. Lasting Impact.

Our youth courses connect what students learn today with the decisions and opportunities they'll encounter tomorrow. Schools can choose a single course or combine offerings to create a learning experience around the needs of their students.

Course 01

Driver's Education

Building Safe, Confident Drivers

Our Driver's Education course prepares students with the knowledge, judgment, and responsible driving habits needed to pursue their license and navigate the road safely. Students receive permit preparation, road-safety instruction, defensive-driving education, and an introduction to the responsibilities and opportunities that come with driving.

Where it can lead

Driver's Ed & Permit → License → Career Exposure → Professional Training

For students interested in transportation careers, a driver's license can be the first step toward opportunities in logistics and commercial driving, including future CDL training once eligible.

Course 02

Financial Literacy

Financial Skills for Life in NYC

Living in New York City comes with its own financial realities. Students learn budgeting, banking, saving, credit, responsible borrowing, income management, and wealth-building fundamentals while exploring financial decisions and challenges that are especially relevant to young New Yorkers.

From navigating the cost of living and transportation to understanding housing, credit, taxes, and their first paycheck, students build financial knowledge grounded in the city where they live.

Course 03

Professional Development & Communication

From Preparation to Opportunity

Students build the communication, confidence, and professional skills needed to compete for opportunities — and leave with tangible assets to help them do it.

Depending on the course, students develop resources such as resumes, professional portfolios, personal introductions, interview preparation materials, and other career-ready tools they can continue using after the program ends.

The goal is for students to leave not only feeling more prepared, but being more prepared.

Course 04

Entrepreneurship

Developing the Next Generation of Innovators

Students are challenged to think like entrepreneurs: identify problems, question what's possible, develop solutions, and turn ideas into viable business concepts. They learn customer discovery, value creation, business models, basic financial planning, marketing, and pitching while developing their own ideas.

Students leave the course with a solid business plan and the experience of taking an idea through the process of building something real.

Course 05

Career Exploration

Expanding What's Possible

Students gain exposure to career pathways across transportation, logistics, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, technology, and other growing industries. Through career exploration and exposure to industry professionals, students discover new possibilities, better understand the pathways into different careers, and begin connecting their interests and strengths to future opportunities.

Ways to work with us

Flexible Programming for Schools

Individual Courses

Select a specific course based on student needs and school priorities.

Combined Programming

Combine courses to create a broader career and life-readiness experience.

Workshops

Focused, interactive sessions built around a specific skill or topic.

Career Days

Customized experiences that introduce students to industries, professionals, career pathways, and emerging opportunities.

School & community partnerships

Built Around Your Students

We work with high schools, alternative schools, and youth-serving organizations to design programming around their students, schedules, and goals. Choose a course, combine multiple offerings, bring us in for a workshop, or partner with us to design a career day.

Let's build an experience that moves your students forward.