New for 2023 - SPI's TRADE Project
Inspiring Students to Explore Career Opportunities in the Trades
SPI is excited to share news about our new Trades project. Replete with stories and go-to resources, the collection will roll out in 2023.
For this project, SPI will share stories of accomplished and highly skilled people who have chosen to work in one of the many fields associated with the trades. While every story will be as unique as the person telling it, common to SPI’s first-person narratives will be each person's pathway to career readiness, who or what was their inspiration, what they have accomplished, what lies ahead, and their personal commitment to excellence.
SPI will feature a list of educational, scholarship, and apprenticeship resources and opportunities to help guide young people who wish to discover more about a possible career as a tradesperson.
The target population for this project is high school-age students in New England, with a focus on New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
SPI will produce and upload to its Learning Lab site a broad sweep of stories, highlighting those involved in woodworking, cabinetry making, homebuilding, bookbinding, electrical and energy-related trades, including solar, wind and hydropower, automotive … the list goes on.
Through its Learning Lab project, SPI works to impart knowledge, foster creative and critical thinking skills, and, most importantly concerning this project, open pathways of thinking relative to career choice and employment opportunities, particularly for students of high school age.
As with all stories and related material in SPI's collection, teachers will use these real-world relevant stories to bring students into personal contact with the first-person narratives of accomplished people who talk about what they have achieved and how and why. This direct contact seizes students' imaginations and helps to guide them as they explore opportunities available through apprenticeships and/or enrollment in trade and vocational schools.
Please get in touch with us if you wish to know more or become involved.
Story Preservation Initiative makes its work available to all, free of charge.
SPI has developed two Learning Lab projects: Our “Storytelling Learning Lab” is appropriate for students in grades Pre-K through 3, and our “Learning Lab” project is suited for students in grades 4-12, with an emphasis on grades 7-12.
Our Vision: Story Preservation Initiative believes in the transformative power of story to connect people around our common humanity and create a better future. We value generosity, diversity, inclusivity, and equity in our stories and in our outreach, exploring and illuminating the deepest levels of human potential.
Our Mission: Story Preservation Initiative is a leading producer and online distributor of original, content-rich stories for K-12 students. Our open-access stories and educational materials are used by educators around the world, engaging the hearts and minds of young people to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking as they open doors to career opportunites.
To access SPI’s Learning Labs, go to