CELINA, Ohio (WLIO) — It was a big day for some Tri Star seniors, who will be graduating with a job already lined up.
Students who didn’t yet have employment opportunities could speak with dozens of companies seeking to bolster their skilled workforce with Tri Star graduates.
Representatives from the Ohio Association of Career Technical Education were also on hand to observe how the career technical school prepares its students and meets the region’s workforce needs.
“One thing to also keep in mind that Career Tech students are also graduating at higher rates than students who do not participate in a career tech pathway, almost to the point where it's a 10% gap. So, we're seeing our CT students graduate at 96%. It just it makes us all feel great that the work that we're doing, that they're doing, is paying off, because we know that it's giving them a leg up once they leave high school,” said Katie Hite, assistant director of the Ohio Association of Career Technical Education.
Students who choose to pursue further education instead of joining the workforce are also well prepared.
“So, Ohio ACTE and all of our member associate schools, we really believe in this model of AND. Career AND education, career AND college. It's no longer one track or the other. You can do both. And we're seeing this with our Career Tech students. We have higher rates of students participating in CCP (College Credit Plus), and so it really gives students those options. And those are the options we want, because this is our future movers and shakers, these are the ones we're going to be leading our workforce development,” Hite added.
The seniors posed for photos with their future employers during Tri Star Career Compact’s Career Fair Thursday morning at the school.
Hite said students now have options—something many high school graduates in the past may not have had.
