Partnership brings together two innovative approaches to career-connected learning, beginning with new entrepreneurship opportunities for School District of Philadelphia students.
PHILADELPHIA, PA & OVERLAND PARK, KS — Building 21 and CAPS Network are joining forces to expand profession-based learning opportunities for young people in Philadelphia. Through a new partnership, Building 21’s Launchpad Philly program will become an affiliate of CAPS Network, bringing the organizations together to support a new entrepreneurship-focused learning experience for students in the School District of Philadelphia.
The partnership builds upon Launchpad’s growing model for connecting young people to the rapidly changing world of work. Created by Building 21, Launchpad prepares Philadelphia youth for future-ready careers through applied learning, professional coaching, industry credentials and paid work experiences. Its programming provides students opportunities to develop in-demand skills while working on authentic challenges, building professional networks and gaining experience alongside professionals.
The new entrepreneurial leadership pathway will extend that same learn-by-doing philosophy into the world of entrepreneurial thinking, project management, and leadership. Through its affiliation with CAPS Network, Launchpad will tap into a national community of educators and programs practicing Profession-Based Learning—an approach that places students in authentic professional environments where they solve real problems, work with industry and community partners, and develop the durable skills and mindsets needed to navigate their futures. In addition to multiple CAPS project cycles, participants will build AI-powered apps and get certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
“Building 21 and Launchpad have been on our radar for a long time because they share so many of the beliefs that animate the CAPS movement,” said Corey Mohn, President & Executive Director of CAPS Network. “They trust young people with meaningful work. They blur the artificial lines between school, career and community. And they believe students are capable of far more than we sometimes ask of them. We’ve admired their work from afar, and I’m incredibly excited that we now have the opportunity to learn alongside one another and bring the power of Profession-Based Learning and entrepreneurial thinking to even more young people in Philadelphia.”
The collaboration is a natural extension of Launchpad’s evolution. Its current model creates a pathway beginning while students are still in high school and combines technical skill development with coaching, credentials, professional networks, internships and other paid experiences. Launchpad has also increasingly created opportunities for young people to produce real work for real clients, including through Launchpad Inc., its social enterprise providing professional AI and data services to organizations.
“We’ve admired CAPS for years because they’ve demonstrated what can happen when schools stop treating the real world as something students have to wait to enter,” said Chip Linehan, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Building 21. “That philosophy feels deeply aligned with what we’ve built through Launchpad. As we expand into entrepreneurship, CAPS gives us an incredible community of practitioners to learn from and a proven framework for creating experiences where young people don’t just study entrepreneurship—they practice it. We’re excited about what our teams can build together and, most importantly, what Philadelphia students will build because of it.”
Entrepreneurial mindset is one of the five core values of the CAPS model, alongside Profession-Based Learning, professional skills development, self-discovery and exploration, and responsiveness. Rather than prescribing a single curriculum, CAPS supports affiliates in developing learning experiences responsive to their own students, employers and communities—allowing Launchpad to build upon its existing strengths while contributing its own expertise to the broader CAPS community.
For both organizations, the partnership is also an opportunity for mutual learning. Launchpad brings deep experience creating accessible pathways into technology and AI, integrating paid learning and work experiences, and connecting young people with Philadelphia employers. CAPS Network brings a national ecosystem of schools, educators, postsecondary institutions and industry partners committed to giving students authentic professional experiences before they leave high school.
Together, Building 21, Launchpad and CAPS Network share a larger goal: creating learning environments in which young people are not simply preparing for their futures—they are actively beginning to build them.
About Building 21 and Launchpad Philly
Building 21 is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that works with communities, schools and programs to advance student-centered approaches to teaching, learning and youth development. Its Launchpad program creates accelerated pathways for Philadelphia youth to develop future-ready skills through paid, applied work-based learning, industry credentials, professional coaching and employer-connected experiences.
About CAPS Network
The CAPS Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and global community of educators and partners advancing profession-based learning. The Network connects and supports affiliate programs to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate as new innovations emerge that provide students with authentic experiences that drive self discovery.
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