UNITED WAY GRANT SUPPORTS CAREER EXPLORATION AT OHIO HI-POINT
Thursday June 6, 2019
What do you want to be when you grow up? Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, with the help of a United Way grant, was helping 40 Logan County teens answer that question this week at the inaugural Summer Innovation Camp. The three-day experience offered 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students from Logan County school districts a first-hand look at various in-demand careers that are available locally.
"I like hands-on opportunities and I heard that Hi-Point was all hands-on fun, so I wanted to test out some of the stuff they do," said Aubrey Hudson, an incoming freshman at Bellefontaine High School.
Hudson thought she might like to follow in her father's footsteps in the construction industry. Her time this week confirmed that hunch. "I like the construction project we did yesterday. We put up some dry wall and it was really fun." Hudson says she will be attending Hi-Point in the fall.
Cole Carpenter, the Outdoor Careers Instructor at Ohio Hi-Point, was teaching students how to operate various machinery, including a Bobcat, mini excavator, and grandstand lawn mower to whet the whistle for his program, which prepares students for careers in landscaping, sports turf, natural resources, and equipment operation. "Most of them don't even have their drivers' license, so this is a little different for them!" Carpenter said. "They are all very engaged and eager to be able to do things that they're not comfortable with. It gives them an opportunity to look at a lot of different careers and explore at a young age to see what their interests are."
A $3,500 Community Impact Fund grant from United Way covered the transportation costs to bus students to and from the camp all week. Each student spent three days under the tutelage of Hi-Point staff exploring a trio of career paths of their choosing. The program complements a countywide initiative prioritized by the Community Needs Assessment and the Workforce Collaborative to increase awareness of local career opportunities among local students and their parents. The hope is to grow participation in the Summer Innovation Camp and expose more students to the job possibilities available and get them enrolled in classes of interest so they can step right into lucrative employment upon high school graduation.
CAPTIONS: Far right: Students gained experience learning how to manuver heavy machinery. Above left: Jeremy Balenger of Indian Lake tests the programming of his robot on a maze course. Above right: Students complete graphic designa and music projects in multimedia.