What Places You Will Go

As the Career Paths consultant for Withrow High School, Newland matches students with a structured system of work-based opportunities and advanced school-based learning that ensures they are qualified for positions available immediately after high school or college.

Jackie Brewer, honor student at Aiken High School, is a junior in the Law Enforcement Career Paths program. With Jackie is Officer Derrick Shelton, District 5 Cincinnati Police Department, and retired City of Cincinnati Police Captain David Stanley, law enforcement classroom instructor at Aiken.

Career Paths is another example of the changing educational system, developed to help students prepare for successful futures now.

"Students declare their desire to participate in Career Paths with the complete understanding that the academic studies are rigorous and that accountability, participation, professionalism and sharing of ideas are expected at work-based learning sites," Newland said.

The four-year Career Paths program begins in the ninth grade. In addition to studying courses in English, science, math and social studies, students create personal career goals and take a career explorations course. There are field trips to area businesses, and guest speakers representing a broad range of career fields come into the classroom.

In the tenth grade, students continue four academic subjects and are enrolled in an additional career development course. They also embark on job shadowing experiences with entry-level, mid-level and finally top-level executives at a work site in their field of interest.

In their junior and senior years, students take courses required for high school graduation and college admission, and participate in summer, evening or weekend internships or apprenticeships. Many of the internships are paid positions in the senior year. Students are required to pass state academic proficiency tests by grade 11 to be eligible for internships.

"The objective is to make sure that every student who agrees to participate in Career Paths has the opportunity to succeed," says Dr. Shelley Jefferson Hamler, Career Paths director for Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS).

An advisory board of business leaders from each Career Paths program works closely with the administration and staff to ensure that each student takes the required academic subjects and is exposed to the work-based learning experiences in that program.

Career Paths exposes students to all options available in a career that interests them. For example, a student who is considering a career as a police officer is also encouraged to explore other careers in law enforcement, such as an attorney, judge, FBI agent and other criminal justice-related careers.

And what happens if, at some point, a student has second thoughts about the career field?

The program is designed to allow students to learn about a variety of career opportunities without making a selection of major concentration until after the tenth grade.

"Career Paths is all about options for students." says Newland. "In real life, people change careers three, maybe four or more times. High school is the best time to be exposed to and explore the various career fields."

Career Paths is offered at the following CPS high schools: Aiken, Hughes Center, School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Taft, Western Hills, and Withrow. Each offers a variety of career fields to explore.

Photo by Robert Orr/Cincinnati Public Schools