LAKE COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) – Riverside Regional School District announced that the Ohio Department of Education and Labor has awarded it $2.5 million to expand career choice education.
The Career Technical Education Equipment Grant will allow the district to build an addition to the Riverside High School campus to “create space for career education and hands-on learning,” RLSD said.
The grant will also fund materials and equipment within the expansion needed to teach students specific industry needs.
RLSD said these career technical education courses are different from traditional career technical schools.
Rather than creating programs like traditional career and technical schools, RLSD offers these career and technical education courses that allow students to gain experience in their chosen career field while earning a credential that counts toward graduation requirements. He said it would be an elective subject.
“Career education has been a long-standing mission of the Joint Vocational School District, such as the Auburn Career Center, but at Riverside we offer experiences that give every student a deeper understanding of what career path they want to pursue after graduation. “We believe there is value in this,” the RLSD said. . “Implementation of this grant will allow Riverside to continue offering these opportunities to all students.”
The addition is expected to be completed by spring 2026, according to RLSD.
RLSD said these programs already offered at Riverside will be additionally expanded and enhanced.
- advanced manufacturing
- construction
- health care
“Lack of space has limited the development of these programs, and the district expects to increase enrollment with additional learning space,” according to RLSD.
Riverside High School first began offering career electives several years ago thanks to a grant to upgrade its welding lab.
“The welding laboratory, now a state-of-the-art facility, has facilitated the development of other career electives that can be offered in a traditional high school setting,” RLSD explained.
RLSD said it plans to offer at least one career elective in each career field identified by the Ohio Department of Education and Labor in the 2024-25 school year.
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