American Graduate Initiative Provides Students a ‘Path to the Future’

CANFIELD, Ohio — A multiyear initiative from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and The WNET Group aims to help students explore and prepare for high-demand careers, including the 30 million open middle-skill jobs that require a one-year occupational certificate or two-year associate degree.

American Graduate: Path to the Future launches with a virtual event at 7 p.m. on June 8 at 7 p.m. A virtual follow-up discussion with local education and career experts from the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio will be hosted by PBS of Western Reserve immediately following the launch.

“The ESCEO is dedicated to educating students about high demand career options available to them,” says Traci Hostetler, ESCEO superintendent. “Our team has been focused on providing an approach that is more inclusive of a variety of lucrative fields, giving students the opportunity to make informed decisions, and offering the support they need to create a path that will give them success in a field that will fulfill them.”

Path to the Future looks to engage 13 to 18-year-old students with informative digital career profiles. After completing an assessment, students will be provide short, fun video profiles of individuals in high-demand careers that match their interests and skills. The website will connect students to other resources and organizations to allow for further exploration of these career paths.

The virtual launch event will explore workforce development in the post-COVID economy with youth and leading experts including Patricia de Stacy Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona; John Bridgeland, founder & CEO of Civic Enterprises; Shari Camhi, superintendent of Schools for Baldwin Union Free School District; Anthony Carnevale, director and research professor, Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce; Monique Miles, director, Aspen Forum for Community Solutions; Rick Wade, vice president of strategic alliances and outreach, U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

After the national launch event, PBS Western Reserve will host a virtual follow-up conversation with the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio including Superintendent Hostetler, director of teaching and learning John Kuzma and career counselor Rob Eggleston. It will be moderated by Jeff Good, chief education technology officer, PBS Western Reserve.

“We are thrilled to extend this initiative through this collaboration with PBS Western Reserve – the partnership couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Hostetler. “It’s wonderful to see another resource that shares this goal become available to students everywhere.”

This is a free event open to the public. Anyone interested in viewing the launch and the local follow-up discussion can register here: https://bit.ly/2RYVRkz

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.