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NILES -- Trumbull County's educational service center is seeing its Workforce Development and Career Pathways Department as a response to a growing interest in districts seeking opportunities for students to explore careers and connect with employers.
The Trumbull County Educational Service Center's governing board approved hiring Steve Beshara as a career navigator at Monday's meeting, according to a news release.
Beshara joins Skyler O'Donnell, providing the department with additional capacity to deliver Career Navigator services to 11 school districts throughout the county.
The release states that the program's continued growth has received widespread support from participating districts, as schools seek new ways to introduce students to career pathways, work-based learning, industry-recognized credentials and postsecondary training, as well as high-demand occupations.
"What we are seeing across our districts is meaningful work already underway and a growing desire to make career-connected learning more intentional and accessible to every student," said Dr. Jake Kakavros, TCESC Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction for Workforce Development and Career Pathways. "Adding a second Career Navigator gives our department greater capacity to work alongside district leaders, counselors, and teachers to build upon that work, identify gaps, and connect students with pathways, credentials, work-based learning experiences, and regional partners.
"Our goal is to create a coordinated system that begins with career awareness in the early grades and leads to real opportunities as students prepare for life after high school."
TCESC Career Navigators work alongside district administrators, counselors, teachers, students and families to help bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce.
The program helps districts identify and develop opportunities that individual schools might otherwise find difficult to provide independently, through partnerships with businesses, higher education institutions, training providers and community organizations.
The release notes a collaboration between the department, O'Donnell and Youngstown State University's Excellence Training Center.
O'Donnell connected representatives from several Trumbull County school districts with the ETC for tours focused on career and training opportunities they could share directly with students.
ETC Director Jackie Ruller led the district teams through the facility, highlighting its advanced equipment, hands-on learning spaces, and training opportunities in advanced manufacturing, automation, robotics, information technology, and other high-demand career fields.
The tours allowed educators to see firsthand how the ETC can support career exploration, workforce preparation, work-based learning, and connections with regional employers.
Schools participating in the tours included Joseph Badger, Mathews, Southington, Bristol and McDonald.
A major focus of the visits was identifying opportunities that districts could connect directly to their students, and teams learned about pre-apprenticeship opportunities in information technology and unmanned aircraft systems, or drones -- available through the ETC.
Eligible students can receive hands-on training through work-based learning experiences while developing skills aligned with growing regional industries.
District representatives also learned about additional opportunities, including a hands-on fiber optics experience that can be brought directly into schools and YSU's National Manufacturing Day. During the event, students can explore industrial maintenance, machining, commercial printing, advanced manufacturing, and related careers through demonstrations and interactions with industry professionals.