Students explore careers across Tuscarawas County

Nearly 400 seventh- and eighth-grade students from Indian Valley and Garaway school districts spent May 5 exploring career opportunities across Tuscarawas County as part of the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center’s Middle School Career Connections program.

The 397 students gathered at the Kent State University at Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center for a morning kickoff before visiting 16 area businesses.

Diane Lautenschleger of the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau opened the day by highlighting the Live. Work. Learn. Play. campaign, which encourages young people to consider building their futures in Tuscarawas County.

Students completed an interest survey before the event and were divided into groups based on their career interests. They boarded buses to visit participating employers, where they got a firsthand look at daily operations and the range of careers available within each organization. Business representatives also shared the education and training pathways needed for those careers.

Participating businesses included Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital, SpringVale Health Centers, Tuscarawas County Health Department, Valley View Animal Hospital, Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, SSB Community Bank, DoverPhila Credit Union, ProVia, nuCamp RV, Benchmark Construction, Allied Machine & Engineering, Dutchman Hospitality Group, Historic Schoenbrunn, the Kent State Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center, the ECOESC IT Department and the ECOESC Education Field.

After spending several hours at their assigned sites, students returned to Kent State Tuscarawas for a closing session focused on planning for their futures. Frank Polen from Buckeye Career Center and Taylor Easlick from Kent State Tuscarawas spoke to students about programs and opportunities available through their institutions and emphasized the importance of setting goals and developing a vision for the future.

The ECOESC Middle School Career Connections program is designed to bridge the gap between local schools and employers while inspiring students to consider career options available in their communities. Through hands-on, real-world experiences, students gain exposure to local industries, training options and the skills today’s workforce demands.