The First Ask Training · For CTE and work-based learning teams
The 20 minute ask that turns a stranger into an employer partner.
Most employer partnerships do not die from a no. They die after the first yes. The First Ask Training shows your team the first ask, the order that comes after it, and the 1 thing most programs forget, in 1 live session of 60 minutes.
$197 per person. $697 for a team of up to 5. Perkins V professional development funds can cover it.
Sound familiar
You are not short on employers. You are short on second yeses.
20 emails. 2 replies.
The ask was too big for a stranger to say yes to.
The September yes went quiet.
Nobody sent the next ask, so the employer moved on.
It all lives in 1 inbox.
When that person gets busy or leaves, the partnerships leave too.
June is a rebuild.
Every visit gets reconstructed from memory for the Perkins V report.
Why it starts here
Employers do not say no to students. They say no to the size of the ask.
Most programs open with the semester. An internship, an agreement, a seat on the advisory committee. A stranger cannot say yes to that on the spot. The First Ask is small enough to say yes to in 1 email, and it sets up every ask after it, all the way to a student placement. It is step 1 of The 5 Asks, the sequence Gospel used for years in schools and workforce centers before he named it.
There is also 1 thing most programs forget after every yes. Your team learns it in the session.
What this training is not.
Not another sit and listen PD.
60 minutes, and your team writes a real ask in the session. You can send it before you leave.
Not new software.
A simple spreadsheet in the Google or Microsoft account you already use. Your data never leaves your file.
Not a cold calling script.
You start with people who already know you. Parents, alumni, and businesses your school already uses.
Not a compliance checklist.
It gives you evidence for Perkins V. Your district decides what it reports.
Not 1 more thing on your plate.
20 minutes per employer visit and 10 minutes a day to keep it moving.
Not theory.
Built from 10+ years of conversations with employers in schools and workforce centers.
60 minutes in
Everything your team walks out with.
A First Ask sent, a system that keeps it going, and the proof for June already building.
- 1
Your first employer ask, sent before you log off.
Live sessionYour team writes a real First Ask for a real employer and checks it together. Most teams send it before the session ends.
- 2
June stops being a rebuild.
The 5 Asks Spreadsheet, First Ask EditionLog each employer once. Your Year-End Report fills in by itself, by month, by pathway, and by continuum stage. Print it for your board, your CLNA, and your Perkins V report.
- 3
Every number lands under the right Perkins V heading.
Perkins V MapA class speaker counts as Career Awareness, not work-based learning. The map puts it where it belongs and gives you the sentence to paste into your report.
- 4
Employers who say yes once say yes again.
The Comeback KitFold and sign cards for 14 career pathways, plus a Thank-You Writer that drafts your post, their post, and your newsletter blurb.
- 5
The exact message that gets a busy owner to say yes.
The First Ask Guide1 page. Who to ask first, what to send, and how to make the visit easy.
- 6
A 30 day plan to your first partner.
Built in the sessionNames, dates, and the person on your team who owns each one.
- 7
Partnerships that do not live in 1 inbox.
Up to 5 seatsYour whole team learns it the same way, so nothing leaves when 1 person gets busy or moves on.
- 8
Professional learning that counts.
Certificate, 1 hourA certificate of professional learning for every person who attends.
- 9
The first tab of a system that grows with you.
Unlocks The 5 AsksEvery Future1 training adds its tab to the same file. Career fairs, tours, surveys, and Asks 2 to 5. Nothing you log is ever lost.
Free kit or the training
The free kit gets you started. The training gets you a partner.
$197 per person. $697 for a team of up to 5.
How the session runs
- 1
Why the first ask comes first
The Perkins V definitions, and why most first asks fail.
- 2
Write it and check it
Your team writes a real First Ask for a real employer.
- 3
Make the yes stick
The 1 thing most programs forget, and how to send it on time.
- 4
Set it up and plan 30 days
The spreadsheet set up live, and a plan for your first partner.
60 minutes. Live online anywhere, or in person in Minnesota. A certificate for 1 hour of professional learning.
Who it is for
CTE directors, work-based learning coordinators, counselors, and career navigators.
Best for teams who already run career fairs, class speakers, or tours and want them to turn into partners.
Save your seat
$197 per person. $697 for a team of up to 5.
Purchase orders accepted. Professional development is a required use of Perkins V local funds, so many districts pay with Perkins dollars. Your district decides.
Gospel sends the invoice or payment link and the date within 1 business day.
FAQ
Questions directors ask before they sign up
Your next training
Career Fair to Employer Pipeline. Turn your next career fair into a First Ask for every employer in the room. November and December.