WAUKESHA, Wis—MRA – The Management Association recently welcomed local students to its headquarters for a Teen Tech Takeover, an interactive event designed to better understand how younger generations search for information and make decisions in an increasingly digital world.
The event brought students together for a series of hands-on activities and discussions focused on digital habits, technology preferences, website usability, and the future of work. Throughout the afternoon, participants completed live search exercises, evaluated website navigation experiences, discussed their favorite digital platforms, and shared how they use AI and other tools to find answers and solve problems.
The event was developed as part of MRA's ongoing commitment to understanding emerging workforce trends and ensuring its resources, educational offerings, and digital experiences continue to meet the needs of future generations.
"The workforce is evolving rapidly, and today's students will soon be the employees, leaders, and innovators shaping organizations across our region," said Susan Fronk, President and CEO of MRA. "By listening directly to young people and understanding how they engage with technology, we gain valuable insights that help us better serve our members and prepare for the future of work."
The program included discussions on workplace expectations, digital behaviors, website preferences, information-seeking habits, and AI use. Students also participated in collaborative exercises that helped MRA's team observe how young people approach online research and evaluate digital resources.
"This event was designed to create a dialogue between generations," said Kate Walker, Vice President of Learning and Development at MRA. "We wanted students to share their perspectives while giving our team an opportunity to learn from their experiences. Their feedback offered valuable insights into how the next generation prefers to access information, learn new skills, and interact with digital platforms."
A key component of the day focused on real-time user observation activities, allowing MRA's marketing team to better understand how students approach website navigation, search for answers, and determine which sources they trust.
"We spend a great deal of time developing content and digital resources, but there is no substitute for watching real users interact with information in real time," said Lesley Weiss, Marketing Director at MRA. "The conversations and observations from this event are helping us understand how younger audiences discover resources, what builds confidence in a website, and what creates a positive digital experience."
The Teen Tech Takeover is part of MRA's broader efforts to stay connected to workforce trends, emerging technologies, and the evolving expectations of future employees and leaders.
About MRA
MRA – The Management Association is the largest employer association in the nation, serving more than 5,000 organizations and supporting more than 1.5 million employees nationwide. For 125 years, MRA has partnered with business leaders to provide HR expertise, compliance resources, training, and data and insights that allow organizations to make effective decisions in a constantly changing business environment. For more information, visit www.mranet.org.
