Beyond “Just After-School”: Extended Education as a Launchpad for Workforce Skills, Identity, and Purpose

About the Author: Dr. Amreen Thompson is the Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR). In addition to her research and evaluation training, Amreen also has practical, classroom experience through her work as a secondary science teacher.

For decades, extended education, after-school programs, summer learning, enrichment initiatives, youth organizations, sports, robotics clubs, and the arts, has shaped young people’s lives in ways that remain widely underestimated. These spaces have long supported learning, development, and well-being, complementing what happens during the school day in ways that schools alone cannot.

Too often, however, extended education is framed through a narrow logistical lens: a safe and structured place for young people when the school day ends and parents are still at work. While safety and supervision matter, this framing obscure what these environments truly are powerful engines of development.

In reality, extended education settings are among the most influential environments for whole-child growth. They are places where young people build relationships, test ideas, take risks, recover from setbacks, and discover who they are becoming, supported by trusted adults, meaningful peer connections, and opportunities to learn through experience.

These are not passive spaces.

They are active learning ecosystems.

Extended education has never been a holding space.It has always been a growth space, one where young people develop skills, identity, agency, and a sense of purpose.

THE SKILLS EXTENDED EDUCATION BUILDS EVERY DAY

Through hands-on experiences and authentic relationships, extended education programs foster a broad range of developmental skills that shape how young people see themselves, relate to others, and navigate the world. Youth build social and emotional capacities such as self-regulation, empathy, and emotional awareness, alongside relational skills including communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution.

At the same time, these environments nurture identity and agency by supporting confidence, voice, and decision-making, while fostering belonging and connection through safe, affirming relationships with peers and mentors. By encouraging exploration, creativity, and persistence, extended education fuels curiosity and engagement. Through reflection on both successes and challenges, young people develop self-awareness and a deeper understanding of their own growth.

Together, these capacities form a critical foundation, not only for academic success and well-being, but for how young people show up in their communities, imagine their futures, and prepare for work and adulthood.

FROM LIFE SKILLS TO WORKFORCE SKILLS

Extended education settings are not “extra.”

They are essential.

They cultivate the very workforce skills employers say matter most, and they do so in ways that are authentic, experiential, and often more equitable than traditional pathways. These environments allow young people to practice responsibility, collaboration, leadership, adaptability, and reflection in real contexts, with real consequences and real support.

This matters more than ever. The Future of Jobs Report 2025 and related OECD research point to a clear conclusion: success in a rapidly changing economy depends not only on technical knowledge, but on durable human skills, collaboration, adaptability, creativity, communication, empathy, reflection, and agency.

IDENTITY AND PURPOSE: THE MISSING LINK IN WORKFORCE READINESS

Extended education gives young people repeated opportunities to explore who they are and what matters to them. Through sustained participation, youth begin to answer foundational questions that shape both well-being and career trajectories.

Purpose develops through meaningful work alongside peers and trusted adults. This process of identity formation is not separate from workforce readiness, it is central to it.

THE CLOVER MODEL FOR WORKFORCE SKILLS

At PEAR (Partnerships in Education and Resilience), our work is grounded in the Clover Model, a research-based framework identifying four core developmental domains: Active Engagement, Assertiveness, Belonging, and Reflection.

The expanded Clover Framework for Workforce Skills adds a fifth domain: Innovation & Adaptability. Paired with PEAR’s Career Readiness Survey, the Clover framework allows programs to intentionally strengthen and meaningfully measure workforce skills.

Extended education builds the developmental foundations of the future workforce. It fosters belonging and well-being, expands access to high-quality skill-building, and supports youth in becoming confident, capable, and career-ready adults.

Extended education is not a convenience.

It is not a holding zone.It is not “just after-school.”

It is a launchpad for identity, agency, purpose, and the workforce skills that will define the next generation.

THE MOMENT WE ARE IN

Over the past two decades, extended education has shifted from being seen as supplemental to being recognized as essential to learning, development, and well-being. What’s different now is the urgency. As employers increasingly value durable human skills, extended education is emerging as a critical pathway for preparing young people for adulthood and work.

When these spaces are still framed narrowly, as enrichment, supervision, or optional add-ons, we risk overlooking one of the most powerful and equitable systems for youth development. Extended education builds the foundations of the future workforce by fostering belonging, identity, well-being, and access to meaningful skill-building. It helps young people discover their interests, strengths, and purpose while cultivating the Clover capacities employers consistently value.

This is not about replacing academic learning. It is about completing it.

To fully realize the potential of extended education, we need a cultural shift that matches this moment. Families, schools, policymakers, employers, and funders must recognize these spaces as integral to learning and workforce development, and invest accordingly. That includes strong cross-sector partnerships, professional development for youth workers, and tools like the Clover Model and Career Readiness Survey that make skills, identity, and purpose visible, measurable, and improvable.