Here, education leads to career pathways
After-school LaunchLabs
Throughout TPZ’s after-school LaunchLabs, you’ll build a strong entrepreneurial spirit and in-demand skills such as Continuous Learning, Problem Solving, STEAM Agency, Teamwork, and Communication. You’ll learn design thinking and you’ll implement universal design principles to create low-fidelity prototypes as you learn about careers in healthcare and the skilled trades–construction, infrastructure, and energy. You’ll build technical skills that help equip you to enter professions that are driving the economy and can put you on a path toward the successful future that you desire. When you take part in our work-based learning activities, you’ll have the opportunity to experience on-the-job skill-building through internships and relationships with local businesses.
Below, you can see the current schedule of LaunchLabs being offered in Boston and Lawrence.
Career & Technical Education Health Assisting Classes
Through our Career & Technical Education (CTE) Health Assisting classes offered with staff at Lawrence High School and Lowell High School (Brockton in 2027), you’ll explore the healthcare system through the lens of both the patient and the medical professional, from the moment a patient enters a clinical setting through diagnosis, treatment, and discharge. In addition to building clinical skills, you will develop a portfolio of professional habits and transferable skills aligned with six core competencies: STEAM Agency, Opportunity Recognition, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Communication and Continuous Learning — key competencies of all TPZ programming.
Below, you can see the CTE classes currently being offered in Lawrence and Lowell. Do you want to learn more about TPZ’s school-based CTE classes? Click here.
Along your journey at TPZ, you will have the opportunity to explore in-demand careers in healthcare and the skilled trades —construction, infrastructure and energy. You’ll learn about robotics and AI, graphic design, 3D printing, laser cutting, coding, and more. And throughout your time with us, you will receive support to promote your well-being—from daily stipends and meals for those students taking part in our LaunchLabs, to enrichment experiences and resources for you or your family.
Boston After-school Programming Fall Term 2026
Cooking For Humanity LaunchLab - Boston: M/W and T/Th
Cooking For Humanity
Description: How can culturally responsive, therapeutic cooking empower communities to use food as medicine and improve health outcomes in their communities? In this Lab, students build their foundational cooking skills and learn how nutrition supports positive health outcomes. They work with local businesses and community members to develop responsive recipes, and publish a community cookbook that addresses health disparities.
Project: Create “Cooking for Humanity,” a community cookbook featuring culturally diverse recipes that help fight diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure through food science principles.
Related Career of the Future Connection: Healthcare
Cardboard Architects LaunchLab - Boston: M/W and T/Th
Cardboard Architects
Description:
How can you use cardboard and creativity to create an engaging and playable game? In this Lab, teams work together to sketch ideas and prototype game elements to bring their concept to life. Throughout, they develop skills in engineering, game design, and user testing as they turn simple materials into playable experiences.
Project: Design and construct a playable game using cardboard and 3D printing. Showcase creations at the student exhibition, where players will test and enjoy each game.
Related Career of the Future Connection: Advanced Manufacturing
Harvard MEDscience LaunchLab - Boston: M/W and T/Th
Harvard MEDscience
Description:
How can we better prepare communities to respond effectively to medical emergencies and save lives? In this Lab, students tackle the critical challenge of improving emergency response in underserved communities. Using Harvard Medical School’s advanced simulation technology, they practice life-saving trauma care skills while exploring how to make emergency medical training more accessible and effective for everyday people who could be first responders in their neighborhoods.
Special notes about this Lab:
- This highly immersive, hands-on lab uses life-like manikins and specialized clinical simulation equipment that resemble a hospital environment. One session per week will be hosted directly at the Harvard Med School (HMS) campus, and students will arrive and leave directly from HMS on those dates.
- Students in this lab will also receive certified training for the Stop the Bleed Course, where they will learn how to recognize life-threatening bleeding and act quickly and effectively to control it using techniques to tackle bleeding emergencies.
- This lab is best suited for students who have not previously received Harvard MEDscience training through their high school.
Project: Students will complete intensive emergency medical training using professional-grade medical simulators and high-fidelity manikins. In groups of 4-5, students will select a simulation from HMS MEDscience to re-enact during presentations of learning.
Related Career of the Future Connection: Healthcare
Build a CareBot LaunchLab - Boston: M/W and T/Th
Build a CareBot
Description:
How can we transform robots from efficient tools into empathetic partners? In this lab, students blend electronics, coding, and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) to build soft robots that feel approachable, expressive, and comforting. By exploring how movement, light, texture, and behavior communicate care, students create working prototypes that reimagine robotics as human-centered technology designed to meaningfully connect with people.
Project: Students design, code, and prototype a social, soft robot for clinical or therapeutic use. Using the principles of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), students create a machine that provides emotional and social support to those who need it most.
Related Career of the Future Connections: Technology / Healthcare
Pathways Apply: College - Boston: M, W, or Th
Pathways Apply: College
Description: TPZ’s APPLY: College class works with seniors who are planning to apply to 4-year colleges. In this Lab, you’ll identify long-term goals, research post-secondary opportunities and apply to a balanced list of colleges. You’ll also create your FSA ID for financial aid and work on submitting your FAFSA.
Project: Draft and finalize college essay, craft balanced college list, submit at least 3 college applications.
Related Career of the Future Connections: All
Work-based Learning: Intern Prep - Boston: 8 classes
Work-based Learning: Intern Prep (8 classes)
Description: In this workshop based lab, students will prepare for internships in the Winter and Spring. To do so, they will refine their resumes, set specific goals for their time in internships and practice their interviewing skills. They will also apply to relevant and available internships for them like Sasaki, BioBuilder, or even working in our own TPZ Fab Lab.
Special Note: Students will apply to be in the class and may take another Launch Lab (M/W) at the same time.
Project: Polishing their templated resumes and submitting at least two edited and completed applications to internships.
Related Career of the Future Connections: All
Lawrence High School Programming Fall 2026
Puzzle Design Escape Rooms LaunchLab - M/W and T/Th, 3:00-5:30 p.m.
Description: How can we design engaging, immersive escape room experiences in a box? In this Lab, you’ll design and build interactive themed puzzles that respond to players’ actions using coding, lo-fi circuitry, and classic manual puzzle designs. You will practice the design process by testing and iterating on your puzzles, and you’ll explore how digital systems communicate with the physical world as you wire circuits and program inputs and outputs to build your escape room in a box.
Project: Design and run an interactive escape room in a box featuring search & discovery puzzles, lo-fi circuits, and a lockbox
Related Career of the Future Connection: Technology
Health Assisting I CTE Class, school-day hours
This school-day course invites students to explore the healthcare system through the lens of both the patient and the medical professional, from the moment a patient enters a clinical setting through diagnosis, treatment, and discharge.
Grounded in authentic case studies and hands-on experiences, you will ddress the following domains of Health Assisting:
- Fundamentals of health and safety
- Basic life support and first aid
- Healthcare careers and professionalism
- Communication and patient relations
- Basic nursing skills
- Personal care skills
- Human body systems
- Employability skills
You will engage deeply with the world of healthcare through on-site hospital visits and classroom sessions with guest professionals, including nurses, lab technicians, and community health workers. Each unit is anchored in an authentic project that’s designed to allow you to build both technical skills and human-centered understanding of healthcare careers.
In addition to building clinical skills like vital sign collection, PPE usage, charting, and communication, you will develop a portfolio of professional habits and transferable skills aligned with six core competencies: STEAM Agency, Opportunity Recognition, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Communication and Continuous Learning.
By the end of the course, you will understand not only how healthcare works, but also how you can work in healthcare. This course lays the foundation for future certification and further exploration of the health professions.
Health Assisting II CTE Class, school-day hours
This school-day course builds directly upon the foundational knowledge and clinical skills you mastered in Health Assisting I. Designed for students serious about pursuing a career in the medical field, this advanced course dives deeper into complex patient care, pathophysiology, specialized populations, and advanced clinical procedures. Students will bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application through hands-on simulation labs and work-based learning, ultimately preparing for industry certifications and post-secondary healthcare pathways.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Perform advanced patient care techniques, including mobility transfers, advanced body mechanics, and daily living assistance.
- Analyze complex body systems, common diseases, and pathophysiology.
- Execute medical math accurately for clinical applications.
- Demonstrate mastery of advanced infection control and sterile techniques.
- Apply professional workplace readiness skills, including medical ethics, teamwork, and patient communication.
- Prepare for industry-recognized certifications (e.g., CNA, CCMA) and complete career exploration portfolios.
Lowell High School Programming Fall 2026
Health Assisting I CTE Class, school-day hours
This school-day course invites students to explore the healthcare system through the lens of both the patient and the medical professional, from the moment a patient enters a clinical setting through diagnosis, treatment, and discharge.
Grounded in authentic case studies and hands-on experiences, you will ddress the following domains of Health Assisting:
- Fundamentals of health and safety
- Basic life support and first aid
- Healthcare careers and professionalism
- Communication and patient relations
- Basic nursing skills
- Personal care skills
- Human body systems
- Employability skills
You will engage deeply with the world of healthcare through on-site hospital visits and classroom sessions with guest professionals, including nurses, lab technicians, and community health workers. Each unit is anchored in an authentic project that’s designed to allow you to build both technical skills and human-centered understanding of healthcare careers.
In addition to building clinical skills like vital sign collection, PPE usage, charting, and communication, you will develop a portfolio of professional habits and transferable skills aligned with six core competencies: STEAM Agency, Opportunity Recognition, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Communication and Continuous Learning.
By the end of the course, you will understand not only how healthcare works, but also how you can work in healthcare. This course lays the foundation for future certification and further exploration of the health professions.