Eighth graders at Lewis F. Mayer Middle School are not only learning about careers and the job market, but they’re also getting a head start on navigating it. 

This year, the school introduced a new class called Career Explorations, an elective designed to introduce students to careers they may not have known about before. The class has three main components: a detailed look at 16 career clusters, the development of soft skills, and three service projects.

“We chose eighth grade because by the time they get to high school, where most schools use this program, they’ve already made decisions,” Career Exploration Teacher Laura Ponsart explained. “We wanted to give kids the time to explore, introduce and learn about different careers, and then that would drive what they would be doing in high school.”

Students interact with industry professionals from 16 different career clusters each week during the semester. Some career clusters students learn about include agriculture, business management, finance, health science, information technology, manufacturing, and more. Every five weeks, students then choose one career and present it to their peers in class.

“They talk about what interests them, why it interests them, and offer some highlights of that career,” Ponsart added. “What made them choose that particular career out of all the ones we covered? It might not be the one that they really want to go in to, but what did they find that was interesting with it?”

“I heard over and over again: ‘I wish this was something I had when I was in high school’ or ‘I wish this was something that I knew more about.’ So, it’s been really positive and parents are really excited for the class and that their kids are taking it.”

In addition to learning about different careers each week, students also learn and work on improving important soft skills needed for success in any industry. Some of the soft skills discussed in Career Exploration include subjects like diplomacy and tact, active listening, becoming a continuous learner, and managing time.

“Most of the careers can teach you how to have that career, but if you don’t have the soft skills you won’t be marketable,” Ponsart expressed. “If you don’t know how to communicate effectively or you don’t know how to work through an issue with a co-worker, that career probably is not going to last very long.”

In addition to career clusters and soft skills, students work on service projects as part of the Lead4Change initiative. This year’s projects involve community-based initiatives, like creating care packages for Meals on Wheels and partnering with local nonprofits to address food insecurity. 

“Hopefully, it will open their eyes to partnering with a non-profit or a similar type of organization,” Ponsart stated. “Then they would be able to see the different careers that are out there as well. Maybe the students didn’t realize that additional need was out there.”

The class is also closely connected to the Polaris Career Center and the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium, two additional resources for students to learn more about potential future careers.

“Something that I like about Career Exploration is how I get to learn about what careers I might want in the future,” Lily, a student in the class, said.

“Career Exploration is an amazing class for eighth graders,” Molly, another student, added. "It allows them to explore careers clusters and explore different options for their future and can help them decide what they want to do in their lives.”

“The parents I’ve talked to are so excited to have this class, especially at eighth grade,” Ponsart added. “I heard over and over again: ‘I wish this was something I had when I was in high school’ or ‘I wish this was something that I knew more about.’ So, it’s been really positive and parents are really excited for the class and that their kids are taking it.”