(KNZA)--The CAPS Network will extend its profession-based learning into seven rural Kansas school districts, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year—including South Brown County USD 430.

The organization announced in a release that it has secured a more than $950,000 grant from the United States Department of Education to focus on rural education.

The CAPS Network said its primary objective with the grant is to “identify and collaborate with communities in rural America that share a vision of providing high school students with authentic, real-world experiences directly connected to professionals in various fields.”

The release says the country is facing significant workforce shortages in a number of industries, and the CAPS Network is helping prepare students across America, and particularly in rural school districts, to meet those demands.

The initiative from CAPS is expected to be implemented over the course of the next three years, going through 2025-26.