ACE MV is the Island’s only adult education provider that offers workforce education in business, health care, technology, trades, renewable energy, and language. Building upon MVYouth's survey of needs of Island youth, ACE MV identified in 2019 that non-college-bound high school students did not have the support and guidance they needed to follow paths other than a four-year college. ACE MV partnered with MVRHS with the goal of creating a resource for Vineyard young adults to pursue technical careers and certifications, find local jobs, and learn the soft skills needed to be employed in these jobs. Thanks to the generosity of MVYouth, we hired a Career Navigation Specialist (Lisette Williams) in February 2021.

Lisette designed a career readiness needs assessment for MVRHS staff; coordinated two professional development trainings for the Guidance Department; co-taught free Career Readiness workshops, thanks to funding from MV Youth and Santander Bank; co-managed the Rural Scholars project with ACE MV Board Member Kim Garrison, a research study sponsored by the Dukes County Health Council where students from UMass Chan Medical School clarified the needs and obstacles faced by disconnected youth living on MV; and launched a career readiness needs assessment for stakeholders. In addition, Lisette is overseeing website updates that include a job portal and career resource section; researching high schools in MA that are approved to teach Career and Technical Education; and guiding MVRHS seniors through the MVYouth Workforce Development Scholarship application process.