mentorpublicschools 2024 0815 - Flipbook - Page 7
Destination
Career Exploration
Mentor Schools Career Academies and a robust Lakeland Community College
partnership prepare students for in-demand jobs while earning industry-certified
credentials and post-secondary credits
T
his fall, Mentor High School students can learn to fly a drone and
earn FAA licensing while exploring diverse careers in unmanned aviation. With hundreds of thousands more
jobs available than skilled workers, this
field offers immense opportunities for
growth and success.
Or, high schoolers can increase their income potential and level up their resumes
while earning Microsoft credentials in
high school. Learn and earn — dive into
hands-on and project-based careers. Satisfy a creative spirit while acquiring digital
media skills and Adobe credentials.
These are just some of the ways Mentor
High School is introducing in-demand
career pathways layered with industry-recognized credentials through a curriculum
transformation and new Career Academies approach to career technical education (CTE) and workforce development.
“The focus is to foster a hands-on approach to education and equip students
with essential workforce skills,” says Dr.
Joe Glavan, director of workforce development for Mentor Schools and Lakeland Community College.
Career Academies embed workforce
development into a student’s typical
school day by integrating industry-recognized credential skills into existing
and new courses. For example, culinary
courses will integrate lessons so students
achieve OSHA and ServSafe credentials.
“We looked at current elective courses offered at our high school and asked,
‘How can we reimagine these to have a
more industry-credential driven focus?’”
Dr. Glavan says. “By doing that, we added eight different academies that will
start in fall 2024.”
The Career Academies are layered
with enhanced access to College Credit
Plus (CCP) courses, with some courses
offered in the high school’s professional
development center through Lakeland at
Paradigm and an enhanced partnership.
Career Tech = Career Exploration
Even more students want CTE opportunities and skills-based training in relevant
fields, whether they continue post-secondary education or enter the workforce
while pursuing additional training.
At Mentor High School, 38% of students are enrolled in a CTE course, and
prior to launching the Career Academies, the demand far surpassed available seats. For example, the healthcare
program generally draws more than 100
applicants for 24 openings.
“We have more students wanting career
technical education than ever before,” Dr.
Glavan says, pointing to a widening skills
gap in the nation’s workforce as a factor
in the resurging interest in CTE courses.
The new Career Academies include:
aviation, business, workforce-ready, construction, culinary, Mentor Fire EMT,
digital media and young professionals.
Each yearlong, one-credit course occurs
during one class period, when students
explore career connections and attain an
industry-recognized credential.
The academies were developed in response to demand from the business
community. “We collaborated with our
business partners and local employers,
asking them, ‘What is beneficial for you?
What skills do our students need?’” Dr.
Glavan explains. “We let those doing the
hiring guide us, and we work together to
provide in-demand industry experience.”
For example, the Aviation Academy
will offer hands-on activities and practical experience, including studying aviation theory, navigation, management
and safety. Mentor Schools partnered
with the Unmanned Safety Institute
(USI), which delivers a turn-key curriculum and helps train instructors.
Scott Liston, USI’s executive director,
explains how exposure to drone technology can unlock interests in design
and engineering, software development,
manufacturing and data analysis.
“If you put a drone in the hands of a
15-year-old girl at Mentor High School,
you are exposing that student to an
enormous robotics industry in a way
2024
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Mentor Public Schools
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