Program permits youth to eye job potential

Leo Vennetti, 13, a seventh-grader from Howland, left, and Brennen Nickels, 12, a sixth-grader from Lakeview schools, take part in a career exploration activity at a weekly program at Lordstown High School offered by the Trumbull County Educational Service Center.

LORDSTOWN — What it takes to run a business and the training and skills required for different career fields is part of a program being offered to students in grades 4 through 7 by the Trumbull County Educational Service Center.

Jenna Jordan, STEAM coordinator for TCESC, said this year is different from past years where there were design challenge programs.

“We strayed away from that a little bit, and this year we are offering career discovery classes where students are looking at different careers that are out there,” Jordan said.

She said career discovery carts are brought to the different classrooms at Lordstown High School. The carts include automotive, welding and solar energy careers.

One cart is for welding and shows the different types of welding careers, including underwater and on oil rigs. They also can take part in simulation welding.

Jordan said there also is an entrepreneurship expedition class looking at what businesses look like and how they can become entrepreneurs.

“These students make their own businesses and see how they can relate to the market at their age. They learned how to start their own business,” Jordan said.

She said organizers of the program wanted to revamp a few things and adhere to what is happening in 2024.

More than 165 children in grades 4 through 7 from participating schools come to Lordstown twice a week, where children will showcase what they have learned. The class runs through Dec. 10 and 11.

“What I like seeing is all the hands-on activities the children get to take part in. Students get to collaborate with students they have met from different school districts. They get to build new friendships while using the skills they have learned here,” Jordan said.

She said children can select program tracts to take part in with one in the morning and one in the early afternoon.

“Many of the children take the career discovery route along with another pathway program they like,” she said.

Choices included engineering, coding and robotics, mixed media and performing arts.

Joseph Jeswald, a retired teacher and school administrator who is one of the program instructors, said with career discovery, the children in grades 4 and 5 begin looking at different career fields.

“This gives them an opportunity to look at a number of different careers. We have done interest and skill assessments and also personality assessment. We try to match their interests, skills and personality to a specific career,” Jeswald said.

Brent Miller, 11, a fifth-grader from Lakeview schools, said he wanted to try career exploration to gain more knowledge of what different careers offer.

Sienna Brainard, also a fifth-grader from Lakeview, said she chose career exploration because she wanted to be able to explore different careers. She selected media arts and career pathways.

Mason Pegg, 12, a sixth-grader from Howland schools, said he chose entrepreneurship because he wanted to see how to run a business.

“When I am older, I might want to have my own business,” he said.

Landon Charba, 11, a sixth-grader form Brookfield schools, said there is a lot of work involved in owning a business.

The programs are offered through STEAM Powered Learning, which is a cooperative program among Trumbull County Schools and the TCESC that develops and promotes the creative talents of students.