The Ohio Means Jobs Career Clusters are an organizing tool that categorizes the vast variety of career options into 16 categories to help learners discover their interests and empower them to choose the pathways that will help them accomplish their future goals.
Goal: Students will identify how their passions and aptitudes align with a future career. They will graduate high school with a plan for reaching their career aspirations.
Planning Activities: Students expand on the six career houses to learn about the 16 career clusters and the jobs within them. They begin to determine which of the 3Es (education, employment or enlistment) they will pursue upon graduation to help them reach their career goals. High school students experience connections between the curriculum and careers through guest speakers, field trips, career talks, job visits, summer career research, and various other exploration and planning activities. Students work to complete their My Grad Planner, sharing it with their parent/guardian and school counselor.
- 9th Grade: Students identify their strengths, skills, aptitudes and interests through programs such as YouScience. They also attend JA Inspire, where they participate in hands-on activities in each of the 16 career clusters.
- 10th Grade: Students begin to narrow their choices of career clusters, and rank the 3Es in their preferred order. They attend Explore Penta Day to learn about the career technical education programs available at Penta Career Center.
- 11th Grade: Students narrow their choices to two of the 3Es, and identify 2-4 of the career clusters of interest. They are encouraged to begin to articulate why these choices were made and potential jobs within these career clusters.
- 12th Grade: Students take action steps toward their post high school path. They attend an In-Demand Jobs and Career Day for opportunities for summer and seasonal work, various training opportunities, interview experiences and networking.
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