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Private beta now · Opening to everyone in 2027.

How it works

Build skills. Show who you are. Explore opportunities.

Nextreks helps high school students build the durable skills colleges and employers are looking for, create a portfolio that shows who they are beyond their transcript, and get matched with real-world opportunities aligned with their interests.

How Nextreks works

How it fits together.

Pick a tab to see each part in the student app.

1 of 3 · Build skills

Learn a skill, then use it for real

Learn durable skills and apply them through real-world Challenges.

  • Each Challenge starts by explaining the skill and what gets in the way
  • Then it gives you a real situation to apply it
  • You submit what happened, in your own words or with a file
A Challenge opening in the Nextreks app: Closer in 45 Minutes, the first Challenge on Observer Island.
straight from the app
Challenges and Capstones

Build skills by doing something real.

Each Challenge teaches a durable skill, then asks students to apply it in a real situation and capture what they did and learned.

  1. 1

    Learn the skill

    Understand what active listening looks like and what commonly gets in the way.

  2. 2

    Try it for real

    Have one real conversation where you listen without planning your response.

  3. 3

    What happened

    Submit a short reflection or another piece of evidence showing what you did and noticed.

  4. 4

    Your portfolio

    Add the result, reflection and relevant skills to your portfolio.

Nextreks ChallengeSample

Closer in 45 Minutes

Challenge · Observer Island · Sep 2026

“I usually jump in with advice. This time I waited, and my sister told me the real problem.”

Active ListeningEmpathy

Start with 10 foundational skill Islands. Then keep exploring.

10 skill Islands with 7 Challenges and a final Capstone in each. New Islands focused on additional skills, career paths and other topics follow as Nextreks continues to grow.

The Islands

Start with 10 foundational skill Islands. Then keep exploring.

10 skill Islands with 7 Challenges and a final Capstone in each. Complete real-world Challenges and Capstones across the foundational Islands, then discover new Islands focused on additional skills, career paths and other topics as Nextreks continues to grow.

  • Observer

    Mindfulness

    Active listening, empathy, emotional intelligence

  • Builder

    Fortitude

    Self-discipline, resilience, calmness under pressure

  • Analyzer

    Metacognition

    Organizational skills, goal setting, teaching

  • Communicator

    Communication

    Verbal and written communication, negotiation, public speaking

  • Connector

    Collaboration

    Cooperation, team-building, team leadership

  • Professional

    Character

    Accountability, reliability, personal integrity

  • Innovator

    Creativity

    Imagination, experimentation, innovation

  • Problem Solver

    Critical Thinking

    Research, analytical thinking, problem solving

  • Visionary

    Growth Mindset

    Curiosity, resourcefulness, entrepreneurship

  • Leader

    Leadership

    Decision-making, mentorship, project management

The framework

Durable skills, built on a real framework.

Nextreks licenses the Pathsmith™ durable-skills framework through its partnership with America Succeeds. Challenges and Capstones connect student work to skills within that framework.

  1. Pathsmith skill
  2. Challenge
  3. Capstone
  4. Student work
  5. Trait Card
America Succeeds
Pathsmith Durable Skills

The Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework was developed by America Succeeds with CompTIA. Nextreks licenses it; it did not write it.

Our partners and their roles

PATHSMITH™

Durable Skills

10 domains · 74 skills

Hover a segment to explore the framework behind every Nextreks Challenge.

  • Communication: Communications (hybrid/remote), Presentation, Written Communication, Verbal Communication, Negotiation, Social Media, Customer Service, Public Speaking (monologue/in-person)
  • Leadership: Management, Leadership, Mentorship, Decision-Making, Project Management, Advocacy (internal to an organization), Risk Management, Thought Leadership (awareness of, developing into)
  • Metacognition: Detail Oriented, Planning, Teaching, Organizational Skills, Time Management, Adaptability, Goal Setting, Constructive Feedback
  • Critical Thinking: Problem-Solving, Research, Prioritization, Investigation, Critical Thinking, Intellectual Curiosity, Analytical Thinking
  • Collaboration: Interpersonal Relationships, Coordinating, Teamwork/Team Orientation, Scheduling, Team Building, Cooperation, Remote/Virtual Teams
  • Character: Accountability, Self-Motivation, Trustworthy, Tactfulness, Reliability, Personal Integrity
  • Creativity: Innovation, Creative Thinking, Visionary, Ideation, Experimentation, Brainstorming
  • Growth Mindset: Self-Starter, Proactivity, Curiosity, Resourcefulness, Entrepreneurship, Action-Oriented Skills, Results-Focused Skills, Self-Sufficiency
  • Mindfulness: Hospitality, Compassion, Empathy, Patience, Active Listening, Emotional Intelligence, Humility, Cultural Sensitivity
  • Fortitude: Resilience, Motivational Skills, Optimism, Tenacity, Assertiveness, Self-Discipline, Calmness Under Pressure, Self-Confidence
Questions, answered

Nextreks in plain words.

What is Nextreks?

Nextreks is a platform for high school students aged 13 to 18. Students build durable skills through real-world Challenges, keep their work in a portfolio they control, and find opportunities that fit their interests in Explore. Nextreks starts with 10 foundational skill Islands, each with 7 Challenges and a final Capstone, and the first Island is free. Every Challenge maps to the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework, developed by America Succeeds with CompTIA and licensed by Nextreks. The student experience is the Nextreks mobile app for iOS and Android, which is not in the app stores yet. Nextreks is in private beta now and opens to everyone in 2027.

What are durable skills?

Durable skills are the skills that carry from one chapter of life to the next, such as communication, problem-solving, collaboration and resilience. Tools, jobs and technology change; durable skills last. Nextreks teaches them using the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework, developed by America Succeeds with CompTIA and licensed by Nextreks. The framework has 10 competency domains and 74 sub-skills. Each of the 10 foundational Nextreks Islands is built around one domain, from Mindfulness on Observer Island to Leadership on Leader Island.

How does a Challenge work?

A Nextreks Challenge teaches one durable skill in a few short steps: what the skill looks like and what commonly gets in the way. Then the Challenge asks the student to use the skill in a real situation in their own week and show what happened, with a short reflection or another piece of evidence. Each submission gets AI feedback against a rubric, and where a named adult also reviews a piece, the portfolio says so. The finished work goes into the student’s Nextreks portfolio, labelled with where it came from and who stands behind it.

What is an Island and a Capstone?

An Island is a set of Nextreks Challenges built around one durable skill domain. Nextreks starts with 10 foundational skill Islands, each with 7 Challenges and a final Capstone, and new Islands focused on additional skills, career paths and other topics follow as Nextreks grows. The Capstone at the end of each Island brings that Island’s skills together. Capstone work goes into the student’s portfolio labelled Nextreks Capstone, and Trait Cards gather the work behind each durable skill. The first Island is free.

Private beta now · Opening to everyone in 2027

Be first in line when we open.

Nextreks opens to a small group first. Join the waitlist for early access, and we will email you when it opens.