Opinion: Here's how Ohio schools can transform to focus on career prep

Lisa A. Gray

President, Ohio Excels

November 6, 2025

Ask any Ohio employer what keeps them up at night, and chances are finding enough skilled workers will be at the top of their list. As Ohio continues to attract new cutting-edge jobs and industries, too many of our students still leave high school or college without the knowledge and skills needed to access those opportunities.

And there is a critical opportunity-building approach that Ohio has not put to full use: career-connected learning for all students. That is, classroom instruction and work-related learning designed to inform and prepare students for the careers that await them at the end of their education journeys.

Career-connected learning helps every student build a clear path to a meaningful career. It includes a range of experiences such as career exposure, planning and hands-on opportunities that help students understand their options.

Enhancing career-connected learning needn’t be yet another mandate for classroom teachers to fulfill on their own; in fact, it shouldn’t be. For schools seeking to optimize career related experiences, partnerships with employers and community organizations are essential.

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