About the TAWS Program

In 2022, the Tranzed Academy for Working Students (TAWS) program, was featured in the Maryland State Department of Education’s landmark piece, as the MSDE Blueprint for Maryland’s Future: Career and College Readiness, (pages 47/48).

The TAWS program helps working high school rising seniors prepare for life after graduation through flexible school schedules and career coaching. Our program is designed to build on a student’s strengths while turbocharging their career path.

The TAWS program was modeled after the University of Maryland Global Campus, which helped design us. Like UMGC, we build students’ academic programs and schedules around their jobs and career goals. For example, our students take high school and college courses in person and online. This flexibility gives them the opportunity to work more hours and earn more money.

In addition, each of our participants work one-on-one with a career coach. Our coaches design Individual Career Plans (ICPs) for every student. These plans work backwards from a students’ ambitions to high school and college courses, apprenticeship options, and job opportunities.

As participants of our program, students are introduced to various employment opportunities and apprenticeships through our sister program: TranZed Apprenticeship Services Program. Through apprenticehip paths, they are introduced to training in various industries and sectors including but not limited to: Healthcare, IT, Cyber Security, and Digital Media.

Presently, TAWS only operates in Montgomery County Public Schools. Our goal, however, is to expand to other school systems in the near future.

TAWS works for students who are:

·         Ready to advance gradually to college courses and work experience

·         Working to support their families who need a more flexible schedule

·         Prefer online learning

·         Want to start or end the semester at a different time than other students

·         Pregnant and/or parenting