Market Value Assets
Preparing Kansas City students with the credentials, experiences, and skills that employers and colleges value most
What Are Market Value Assets?
Market Value Assets (MVAs) are industry-valued credentials, experiences, and skills that students earn before graduating high school — giving them a meaningful head start on their path to college and career success.
PREP-KC pioneered the MVA concept in 2016, establishing a framework that recognizes what students need beyond a diploma to thrive in today's economy. Since then, the MVA movement has become a defining feature of Kansas City's approach to education.
The Four Types of MVAs
Students can earn one or more of these assets through PREP-KC career pathway programs
Industry-Recognized Credential
Professional certifications aligned with high-demand career fields — from CompTIA and CNA to Microsoft and OSHA — that employers recognize and value.
9+ College Credits
Substantive dual-enrollment coursework that counts toward a degree or certification, giving students a running start on their postsecondary education.
Internship & Client-Connected Projects
Authentic work experiences and real-world problem-solving for actual organizations, building professional skills and industry connections before graduation.
Entrepreneurial Experiences
Hands-on ventures where students develop, launch, and manage real projects — cultivating innovation, leadership, and business acumen.
Why MVAs Matter
Research shows that graduates who earn a Market Value Asset are more likely to enroll in college, persist to their second year, and graduate with a degree than peers without an MVA.
MVAs bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world readiness — transforming a diploma from a milestone into a launchpad.
In 2016, PREP-KC set the ambitious target of 10,000 high school students graduating with an MVA by 2025. We didn't just meet that goal — we surpassed it.
Now our sights are set on Vision 2030: ensuring that every graduate from a PREP-KC partner high school earns at least one Market Value Asset aligned with their aspirations.
A Regional Movement
When PREP-KC coined the term "Market Value Assets" in 2016, it was a new way of thinking about what students need beyond a diploma. Today, the MVA framework has been embraced across the entire Kansas City region — becoming a cornerstone of how the metro area approaches education and workforce development.
Real World Learning
The Kauffman Foundation's initiative adopted MVAs as a core framework, scaling the concept across Kansas City metro school districts with the goal that every student graduates with at least one MVA by 2030.
KC Rising
Kansas City's flagship economic development initiative incorporated MVAs into their workforce development strategy, recognizing them as critical to building a competitive regional talent pipeline.
Kansas State Policy
Starting with the Class of 2028, Kansas now requires all high school graduates to complete two postsecondary assets — a state-level validation of the MVA approach that PREP-KC helped pioneer.
Help Students Earn MVAs
Whether you're an industry professional ready to mentor, a business looking to host interns, or a community partner wanting to invest in Kansas City's future — your involvement helps students earn the assets that change their trajectory.