The Summer High School University (HSU) Program is a FREE eight week program for rising 10th -12th grade low-income students (15-18 years of age) living in the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding suburbs in Allegheny County. Students participants enroll in a college course, engage in tutoring/study skills, and participate in paid summer work experiences. Class, tutoring, and work experience occurs Monday– Thursday, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Fridays are reserved for speakers, field trips, and college visits. All course materials, books, bus passes, tuition, and student experiences are 100% FREE. There is no cost for students. Students 15-18 years of age will earn $12 for 20 hours of weekly work experience. Paid work experience occurs for six out of the eight program weeks. Program enrollment for the Summer HSU is based on the student’s age. Students 15-18 years of age and are not graduating are eligible to enroll in the Careers Unlocked Program. The program operates June 16th – August 7th, 2026. The application will open Monday, March 9th, 2026.
Careers Unlocked is designed to unlock students passion, interest, and talents. The Careers Unlocked program provides high school students the ages 15-18 years old, an immersive workforce experience coupled with college courses at CCAC or Carlow University. Students in the Careers Unlocked Program obtain college credits, gain meaningful internship experience, and are provided college or workforce application support for success post-high school. Interested students must enroll in one of the NLA Career Pathways – Health, Business, Technology or the Trades, Robotics, Advanced Manufacturing Pathway. The summer program is a paid Partner4Work Learn and Earn experience.
Students in the Health Careers Pathway earn college credits aligned to health career college majors through our partnership with CCAC and Carlow University. In addition, students engage in paid work experience at West Penn Hospital where the students participate in rotations of various medical departments and nursing courses.
Work Experience: Students engage in a paid shadow work experience for 80+ hours in the summer at West Penn Hospital and 12-18 hours during the school year.
Professional Engagements: Students participate in career fairs, workshops, site visits, etc.
College Credits: Earn general requirements and STEM-based college credits at CCAC and Carlow University. Students have the option to enroll in the High School U School Year & Summer Programs.
Competitive Edge: Students will gain real-world experience shadowing doctors, nurses, and other health career professionals while in high school. In addition, students will earn free college courses.
Students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Careers Pathway meet local business owners, startups, and corporate leaders and gain insights into the various business career opportunities in addition to earning college credits for business majors. Student participants can gain experience to enter the workforce straight after high school or prerequisites for business majors. Summer 2026 HSU students will engage in paid workforce experience where they will learn about starting and managing a business at Happy Day Dessert Factory or with Street Fries.
Work Experience: Students engage in a paid shadow work experience for 80+ hours in the summer at local businesses in the Pittsburgh region and 25+ hours during the school year in addition to college coursework.
Professional Engagements: Students participate in career fairs, workshops, site visits, etc.
College Credits: Earn general education requirements and college courses related to business majors taken at CCAC or Carlow University. Students have the option to enroll in the High School U School Year & Summer Programs.
Competitive Edge: Students will gain real-world experience shadowing entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses, corporate leaders, etc.
The Technology Careers Pathway is designed to expose students to different career opportunities in the tech field ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technology (IT), Computer Science (CS), Cyber Security, Multimedia, and much more! Students in the Technology Pathway earn college credits through our partnership with CCAC and Carlow aligned to technology careers. Students work alongside IT professionals and content creators, and meet local professionals. Student participants can gain experience to enter the workforce straight after high school or prerequisites for the technology exploration course of focus that semester. In the summer of 2026, HSU students will conduct their internship experience with the University of Pittsburgh’s IT team.
Work Experience: Students engage in a paid shadow work experience for 80+ hours in the summer with the University IT team. Students demonstrating high interest will be considered to continue the internship during the school year in addition to college coursework.
Professional Engagements: Students participate in career fairs, workshops, site visits, etc.
College Credits: Earn general education requirements and college courses related to the tech field taken at CCAC or Carlow University. Students have the option to enroll in the High School U School Year & Summer Programs.
Competitive Edge: Students will gain real-world experience shadowing and interning with tech professionals in the Pittsburgh region.
The Trades, Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Careers Pathway will launch for the HSU Summer 2026 Program. The career pathway will introduce students to the in demand careers for the trades, robotics, and advanced manufacturing in the Pittsburgh region. Students will learn about careers they can pursue right after graduating high school through a pipeline program, apprenticeship, or certificate earned through CCAC. Students gain work experience with local industry partners and at the new CCAC Center for Education, Innovation, and Training. Students in the Trades, Robotics, and Advanced Manufacturing Pathway earn credits through our partnership with CCAC.
Work Experience: Students engage in a paid shadow work experience for 80+ hours in the summer at local businesses in the Pittsburgh region and CCAC. During the school year students engage in 12-15 hours of internship experience in addition to course work.
Professional Engagements: Students participate in career fairs, workshops, site visits, etc.
College Credits: Earn general education requirements and college/industry course credit related to the trades, robotics, and advanced manufacturing industry taken at CCAC. Students have the option to enroll in the High School U School Year & Summer Programs.
Competitive Edge: Students will gain real-world experience shadowing various industry professionals and participate in special workforce development workshops.
The 2026 HSU summer courses will be held at CCAC Allegheny and Carlow University. All courses are taught by university professors on campus. Students can only enroll in one course.
The Summer High School University (HSU) Program enrollment is based on the student’s age. Careers Unlocked Program is for students 15-18 years of age as of June 22nd and the student cannot be graduating high school. Students 15-18 of age must apply to the Career Pathway of interest when completing the NLA registration. Students enrolled in the Summer HSU program are eligible to enroll in college courses and paid work experience in the fall and spring semesters for free.
Students are enrolled into the college course based on the student’s career pathway. Summer courses are designed to provide students access to academic coursework aligned to the career pathway.
Introduction to Statistics (3 credits) – Health Careers Pathway
Introduction to Business & Management (3 credits) – Business Careers Pathway
Introduction to Network Systems (IT) (3 credits) – Technology Careers Pathway
Introduction to Robotics (3 credits) – Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Pathway