YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University will receive a $674,978 grant to help more students explore careers and plan their futures.

The university is one of seven regional institutions that was awarded a Career Pathway Support Network grant to bring career-connected learning opportunities and career planning support to more students across the state. 

The grant awards were announced Friday by Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and Stephen D. Dackin, director of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

“Our continued support of expanding career-technical education and career planning for our students is an investment in Ohio’s future,” DeWine said. “By creating Career Pathway Support Networks, more students will be able to access the in-demand skills and experiences they need to be successful after high school and reach their full potential.”

The grant funding will establish Career Pathway Support Networks in place of existing Tech Prep Regional Centers. These new networks will build on the foundation of the Tech Prep model but take a broader approach – increasing access to and participation in career-technical education for grades seven through 10, ensuring all students receive high-quality career advising and mentoring and aligning more closely with regional workforce needs through partnerships between schools and districts, institutions of higher education and local employers.

“As more businesses move into Ohio and grow here, we have an incredible number of opportunities coming our way,” Tressel said. “We need to make sure our next generation is ready to take advantage of these opportunities. Establishing these Career Pathway Support Networks will help us keep building on our work alongside local partners to strengthen Ohio’s future workforce and meet the unique needs of employers in each region of the state.”

In addition to YSU, the following institutions were awarded grants:

  • Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, $1,561,346.
  • North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, $936,717.
  • Sinclair Community College, $857,292.
  • Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, $1,052,456.
  • East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, $778,863.
  • Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, $1,247,917.

These institutions, along with their regional partners, will establish seven regional Career Pathway Support Networks that are aligned with the state’s JobsOhio regions and that will focus on better preparing Ohio students for in-demand careers with expanded career-technical education, as well as advising, mentoring and exposure to professions.

“We want to highlight as many workforce opportunities as possible for students and show them how their interests connect to careers right here in Ohio,” Dackin said. “By improving career planning supports, mentoring and skill development, along with elevating business-education partnerships, our new Career Pathway Support Networks will help more students be ready for new and exciting possibilities. Embedding career planning as a core K-12 strategy ensures that every student graduates not only with knowledge but also with a clear sense of direction and the confidence to pursue their future.” 

Each Career Pathway Support Network will be guided by a regional steering committee. The networks will lead planning for career-connected learning that is aligned with local workforce demand and will build partnerships among education, business and community leaders.