View photos from the Future Ready host companies »

This June The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Wells Fargo and the School District of Philadelphia partnered for year two of Future Ready: Career Paths for Middle School Students. As one of the Chamber’s most impactful educational outreach efforts, this year’s Future Ready program introduced over 200 Philadelphia middle school students to professional careers in range of industries.

The Future Ready program was designed to engage and enlighten local middle school students and give them new perspectives and a hands-on look at potential career paths. Research has shown middle school is a key period in the development of a young person, making it crucial to reach out at this critical juncture.

This year-long program, which brings professional practice and career path visibility into the classroom, culminated with 18 Chamber member companies hosting 230 sixth graders in their Philadelphia offices. Students were able to meet with professionals from a variety of fields including accounting, human resources, marketing, and retail.

A special thanks to this year’s host companies for providing students with a glimpse of a future career at their firm:

Wells Fargo
AgustaWestland
American Red Cross
Aria Health
AT&T
Day & Zimmermann
Independence Blue Cross
Morgan Lewis
NextFab
Pennoni
Philadelphia Energy Solutions
Philly Shipyard
PREIT
PwC
Saxbys
The Philadelphia Eagles
University City Science Center
WHYY

The students were engaged and interested to learn about various career trajectories, and the host companies were eager to interact with them in their workplace environment.

Here’s what people had to say on Twitter, find more using #FutureReady: