VAN WERT, Ohio – At an event held at the Van Wert Fairgrounds, students from Van Wert, Mercer, and Paulding counties learned about some of the most in-demand careers in northwest Ohio.
The Build Your Future program, now in its fourth year, drew freshmen and sophomores from seven different schools. The program allows students to explore various career paths, and for the first time this year, there were opportunities to learn about jobs in health care and manufacturing. Seniors from Vantage Career Center served as mentors, guiding underclassmen through activities that demonstrated various career options.
“They get hands-on experience every day, doing something new, putting their skills and knowledge into practice in the real world, and one day, they’ll be in our factories, buildings, nurses, healthcare, manufacturing, electricians, and a little bit of everything. And it’s exciting to see the next generation step into the future. I do not believe it should be called Build Your Future. Tyler Zura, a Vantage senior who works for Alexander & Bebout, believes it should be called Build Your Dream because everyone here is dreaming about what they want to do when they grow up.
The event also demonstrated that students don’t have to travel far to find their dream jobs.
“So, the freshmen and sophomores attending this event today were in early elementary, late elementary, or early middle school when the pandemic struck, and I believe they were the first influential group to hear the terms ‘essential jobs’ versus ‘non-essential jobs.'” This is bringing those terms to life, and I believe they are very open to the hands-on activities taking place today,” said Lauren Buchanan, Workforce Development Manager for the Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation.
About 500 students attended the Build Your Future event.
