Putting Youth in Motion: A Journey Through Ohio’s Innovative Career Pathways

At EnvisionEdPlus, we believe each young person deserves to thrive ~ in school and beyond. For nearly a decade, we have been helping schools design and sustain high-quality, career-ready pathways that bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world success. This April, we took our work on the road with our Pathways in Motion 2026 Road Trip.

What is Pathways in Motion?

This immersive, two-day event was more than just a series of tours; it was an “under-the-hood” exploration of how schools can create meaningful, sustainable career experiences for their students. Participants from schools such as Gateway HS (PA), Townsend Community School (OH), and Delaware High School (OH) joined us to witness firsthand how intentional design and strong partnerships transform the student experience.

Throughout the trip, visitors engaged in raw, honest conversations with the administrators, teachers, and students who live these programs every day. The goal was for each attendee to leave with a toolkit of fresh ideas to launch, expand, or elevate the pathways in their own districts.

Highlights from Our Site Visits

We were honored to visit four schools with whom EnvisionEdPlus has worked closely for many years to build robust educational ecosystems.

• Edison High School (Richmond, OH): As our first stop, Edison demonstrated how a rural district can power “high-tech dreams”. Visitors explored cutting-edge learning in Engineering, Agriculture, and Biomedical sciences, and the Interactive Media program, which features a student IT Pre-Apprenticeship program. Check out the local news coverage of our visit. 
• Berkshire High School (Burton, OH): In a state-of-the-art facility designed for 21st-century learning, we saw the power of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in action. Highlights included a panel discussion with students from the Advanced Manufacturing and Diesel Mechanic programs, who are earning industry certifications through unique partnerships with local businesses like Preston Auto Group and Ford Motor Company. We also had the opportunity to check out their PBL spaces designed by Inventionland Education, where PK-12 students can creatively collaborate as they learn.  
• Riverside High School (Painesville, OH): This stop focused on hands-on technical training in high-demand fields like Healthcare, Construction, and Welding. A key takeaway was their flexible Career Technical Experience and Exploration (CTX) approach, which provides students with broad career exposure across the K-12 continuum.
• Perry High School (Perry, OH): Our final stop showcased a wide range of career prep, from a student-led home renovation project to their on-site Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and welding programs offered in partnership with area colleges, so students are earning high school credit, college credit, industry credentials, and completing challenging work-based learning. We also toured their Middle School, Paxton Patterson College, and Career Ready Lab, highlighting the importance of early engagement in a student’s career journey.

Our Commitment to the Future

The success of these programs is a testament to what is possible when schools commit to purposeful pathways. At EnvisionEdPlus, we are proud to serve as a partner in this work, providing the grant writing, professional development, and strategic planning necessary to help schools prepare the next generation of leaders.