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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.

The classroom calls out to these teaching cadets

East Grand Rapids Riley Kelley
The Cadet Teaching course at East Grand Rapids High School exposes students to the teaching field.

Field trip to IT company a real-world experience 

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Kent Career Tech Center students get a taste of real-world IT work, exploring servers, systems and customer service at Grand Rapids’ Service Express.

Home Improvement class teaches repair basics

Godwin Heights Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
One of Godwin Heights’ newest classes provides a window into a possible future career while teaching home repair basics.

Program pairs mentors with high-school students

Kentwood Erin Albanese
Learning about careers directly from those working in them, in their work spaces.

Charting careers in mental health

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
More than 200 students from Kent County districts and the Kent Career Tech Center explored career opportunities in mental health at Pine Rest.

District launches new health and STEM programs

Forest Hills Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
For next school year, Forest Hills Central High will offer a new Health Careers Academy, while Northern’s STEM Academy will transition into an AP Capstone Diploma STEM program.

Local companies join STEM Night to showcase science careers

Godwin Heights Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
This year, North Godwin added local businesses to its STEM Night to highlight careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Virtual welding sparks real-world learning

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Through the new MEERA program, students use virtual welding and 3D printing to explore real-world careers in engineering and advanced manufacturing.

Engineering classes help students explore careers, earn certifications 

Kelloggsville Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
The program focuses on giving students insights into manufacturing and engineering careers. 

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.
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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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