As the dog days of summer approach, students take a well-deserved break from the onslaught of homework and exams that have come to define the typical American high-school experience. From honors and AP classes to marathon standardized testing, it would seem that today’s students are being challenged to reach ever-greater heights. But behind the facade of academic rigor lies a surprising truth: high school and even college graduates are woefully underprepared to face the modern job market.

Approximately 12.2% of young adults ages 16-24 are unemployed, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning that they are not in secondary or post-secondary education, have no job (even part-time), and are not engaged in military service. While a majority of the unemployed do not have college degrees, even those who have graduated from a four-year institution are faring less than optimally in the job market. A recent report released by Payscale noted that fewer than half of hiring managers believed that recent college graduates were well-prepared for the workplace. Despite this epidemic of youth unemployment, one Minnesota high school is working to bridge the gap between the skills learned in school and those required by employers.

At Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, MN, students are expected not only to learn, but also, to work. These students, drawn primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds (98% identify as ethnic minorities and the average household income falls just above federal poverty guidelines), have access to a unique opportunity. Through its corporate work-study program, Cristo Rey matches students to employers, which include General Mills, Medtronic, Ecolab, and Merill Corporation. Each student works five full days a month, allowing them to gain valuable professional skills while exploring a career field of interest.

“What our students learn, especially as part of the corporate work study, is how [to] advocate for yourself. How [to] recognize and own up to your own limitations and then how [to] overcome them,” said Tim Manatt, S.J., former president of Cristo Rey, in an interview with WCCO. The school’s innovative approach seems to be paying off: all of their graduates have been accepted into college with 85% choosing to attend and the majority of the rest entering full-time employment.

But it’s not just one high school. There are entire educational systems formed around a foundation of career-based learning. For example, take Vocational Education and Training (VET), the largest multinational program created to equip students with the technical skills needed to succeed in a specific career path. Between 40% and 70% of students in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Switzerland choose to enter apprenticeships and training programs rather than pursuing traditional higher education. These programs often begin in high school and have left many European nations with some of the lowest youth unemployment rates amongst industrialized nations, as reported by the EU Labour Force Survey.

So why should the results be any different here? According to a survey conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education, an overwhelming majority of American employers preferred career-based experience over candidates’ academic records. Consequently, these employers cited skills such as teamwork, decision-making, effective verbal communication, data analysis, marketing, and “technical knowledge”, as the most valuable for potential candidates. While some of these skills could be taught in a classroom, far more effective would be an immersive experience in a professional work environment, with the opportunity to experience real risks and real outcomes.

The tide is turning as schools and students alike begin to take notice. In 2015, over 65% of college graduates participated in at least one internship during their course of study, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. But the benefits of internships aren’t just limited to older students. A Millennial Branding study found that, of the several hundred companies surveyed, 90% agreed that high school internship programs gave students an advantage when applying to both colleges and full-time jobs. In addition, nearly half said that a part-time high school internship had a very high likelihood of turning into a full-time job offer with their company.

The American education system is failing to keep pace with the American job market. By diving in head-first with part-time jobs and internships, students can demonstrate their aptitude for professionalism, maturity, and time-management. They can acquire the technical and job-specific skills demanded by employers. But most importantly, they can become the thinkers, leaders, and action-takers of the most successful generation to date.