CTE Partnerships

By: Akash Dubey, Ani Tiwary, and Krish Shetty

Our submission for FBLA’s Coding and Programming Event 2024. We placed in the top 10 at the State Leadership Conference.

Live Site

Presentation

Our Goal

We wanted to combine all the sources of information about community partners into a single, easy-to-use location that updates automatically with new data for our school’s Career Technical Education department and its students.

Process

We gathered data through web scraping and developed a web app to manage it. We also collected feedback to improve our solution.

• Collecting Data: Obtained information from online sources, extracted relevant information, and structured it using JSON format.
• Feedback: Collected feedback indicating the application was helpful in searching for internship/job opportunities, though some users experienced difficulties in finding specific internships.

Features

Search for Businesses

Use filters, keywords, and sorting to find the information you need.

View Information about Businesses

For each business, you can see industry information, contact details, and detailed description.

Add Organizations

If organizations can’t be scrapped from other sites online, they can also be added manually through a form.

Comments

Using Disqus, users can leave comments on the website to provide feedback or ask questions about organizations.

Functionality

• Web Scraping: We used web scraping techniques to collect data from local websites about various businesses and community partners. This automated process ensures that the information is up-to-date and comprehensive, providing the CTE department with all the data they need in one place.
• Data Storage: The collected data is stored in a structured JSON format, making it easy to access and manipulate within our application.
• Search and Filter: The app includes robust search and filter functionalities, allowing users to quickly find specific information based on keywords or categories.
• User Interface: The user-friendly interface allows users to add new organizations, view detailed information about partners, and leave comments.

Software Used

• React: We used React to build the front end of our application, providing a responsive and interactive user experience.
• Node.js: Our backend is powered by Node.js, handling data processing and server-side logic.
• BeautifySoup: We used BeautifySoup to scrape data from websites, extracting relevant information about businesses and community partners from the chamber of commerce.
• GitHub: Version control and collaboration were managed through GitHub, ensuring efficient team coordination and code management.

Benefits of a Web-Based Approach

Creating a web-based application makes it easier for both the CTE department and students to access the data. The centralized platform allows for real-time updates and accessibility from any device with an internet connection. This ensures that everyone has the most current information and can make informed decisions regarding partnerships and opportunities.