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Career Exploration

To maintain a thriving economy, students need to be prepared for high-demand, well-paying jobs. This series looks at how schools are preparing students for the future workforce.

Sparking success: welding in virtual reality

Northview School News Network

Ever heard of simulated welding? Thanks to some new equipment, it’s now a reality at Northview Next Career Center, and one student tested it out to write about the experience.

Middle-school architects get design lessons from the pros

Forest Hills Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

From floor plans to feedback, students discover what it takes to design a house — and where to put the laundry.

Career day all about discovering future opportunities

Comstock Park Brett Atwood

Students engaged with professionals by asking questions and learning about a wide range of career options.

Middle-school multitasking: exploring career pathways during lunch

Kelloggsville Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

The goal of these lunch talks is to help students think about possible careers as they plan for their next steps after high school.

Pilot class helps students navigate college, early careers

Godfrey-Lee Alexis Stark

Lee High School’s pilot career and college preparation class, in partnership with the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative, is helping students forge futures that include furthering education.

Career unit helps prepare students for ‘life’s next step’

Northview Beth Heinen Bell

A unit on career exploration got these sixth-graders thinking about the future and how today’s classes are relevant.

Opening career pathways through work-based learning

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

The third in our series of articles about CareerPrep 2030, a Kent ISD initiative to expand offerings and boost student enrollment in career and technical education over the next five years.

A career in auto repair? For some students, it starts in high school

Podcasts Charles Honey

A Grandville High School teacher and student discuss the “motor skills” learned and career options opened by classes in automotive maintenance as well as in other career and technical education programs.

Tech Center program heats up student interest in skilled trades

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

From classroom to career, Kent Career Tech Center’s HVACR program is filling a high-demand need in the heating and cooling field.

Partnership expands CTE programs to local districts

Career Exploration Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

To meet its goal of 10,000 students in career and technical education classes by 2030, Kent ISD partnered with local districts to bring these programs to students in their own high schools.

Tech Center students construct pole barn

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

The process of constructing a pole barn gives the Tech Center’s advanced construction students life skills and experience.

Initiative aims to double enrollment in career & technical education by 2030

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

An ambitious county-wide initiative aims to increase the number of students taking classes that teach them career skills and prepare them for the workforce.

Teacher Academy students design their future classrooms

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

First-year Teacher Academy students designed classrooms with a focus on the developmental needs of their students.

Opportunities abound at first in-house career fair

Kelloggsville Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Seeing an increased interest in job site tours, Kelloggsville hosted its first career fair at the high school.

Health care leaders ask students for ideas, solutions

Kentwood Erin Albanese

Sixteen students are helping leading scientists and researchers solve problems at an advanced cancer treatment center in Grand Rapids.

The full package: Girls get behind-the-scenes look at manufacturing

Grandville Brett Atwood

Grandville High School students toured Amway as the culmination of a Women in Manufacturing series.

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School News Network reports on the 20 public school districts in Kent ISD, which enroll more than 102,000 students. Founded in 2013 as an initiative of Kent ISD, we are supported by local districts and community sponsors, and powered by an experienced team of reporters, editors and multimedia journalists. We specialize in covering classroom teaching and learning, analyzing the many issues facing students and highlighting the education magic that happens each day in our public schools.

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