Help Students Navigate Their Career Journey
Whether you work in K-12, career technical education, higher education, or student services, Raise the Bar connects you to local career information, employer partnerships, labor market data, and career exploration opportunities.
What does your student need right now?
Career exploration starts with self-discovery. Through assessments, career cluster resources, and guided reflection, students can better understand their interests, aptitudes, and strengths. These tools help connect what students enjoy with what they do well, creating a stronger foundation for future career and education decisions.
Many students are unaware of the career opportunities available in their own communities. Career exploration helps learners discover occupations, industries, and pathways they may not have previously considered. Through career cluster resources, labor market information, employer engagement, and real-world examples, educators can help students make informed decisions about their future.
Career outlook reports
Local employer profiles
Career decisions are shaped by experiences, not just information. Real-world exposure allows students to see careers in action, interact with professionals, and better understand workplace expectations.
Once students identify careers of interest, the next step is understanding how to get there. Education and training pathways help learners connect career goals to the credentials, degrees, certifications, apprenticeships, and experiences needed for success. By exploring these options early, students can make informed decisions and build a clear plan for their future.
Resources by Grade Level
K-6: CAREER AWARENESS
With state and federal funds, INFOhio evaluates, curates, and procures digital resources that all Ohio PreK-12 educators can freely use for teaching and learning.
Northwest Ohio’s hub at Bowling Green State University advances STEM education for people of all ages. NWO is a partnership among area universities and colleges, pre-K-12 schools, educational service centers, and local businesses that share our mission.
Pre-made lessons for specific grade levels. Lessons include student activities to examine and learn about various jobs and skills within specific careers.
The Ohio State University’s College of Arts and Sciences provides units and experiments in the sciences to open conversations on related careers.
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center (Bellefontaine, Ohio) organizes resources and learning kits by career cluster for K-5 educators.
Offers numerous learning activities to build career awareness among elementary students. Includes activities focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness.
Produced by PBS Learning Media, individual videos from A to Z highlight unique career options.
GRADES 7-8:
CAREER EXPLORATION
Hancock County’s Middle School Career Tech Class
Educators responsible for teaching the state-mandated career tech course(s) can use this schedule of topics and supporting materials.
With state and federal funds, INFOhio evaluates, curates, and procures digital resources that all Ohio PreK-12 educators can freely use for teaching and learning.
Junior Achievement provides curriculum for interactive middle school lessons. Focuses on work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
Open Space provides educators with lesson plans, textbooks, activities, and other learning resources. Lessons are curated into both collaborative and personal folders.
Learning experts have curated a variety of exercises and reflection questions designed to help 7th- and 8th-grade students explore their interests, abilities, and strengths.
YouScience Classroom-Ready Lessons
YouScience provides 13 pre-made lessons (40 minutes each) for students in 7th and 8th grade. The online learning academy allows students to work through the lessons under the supervision of a teacher.
Students answer a few questions about themselves, and the Career Profile will suggest career options that match their interests.
Budget and Lifestyle Calculators
OhioMeansJobs offers these two calculators. Students can use these online tools to better understand how career selections will impact budget and lifestyle.
Developed by the Department of War, myfuture.com™ features career, college and military content, allowing users to explore all possibilities and gain insight into each option.
GRADES 9-10:
CAREER ENGAGEMENT
YouScience Classroom-Ready Lessons
YouScience provides 18 premade lessons for high school students. Through an online learning platform, students complete 40-minute lessons on a variety of career preparation topics.
This fillable student workbook provides a variety of exercises and reflection questions to help students explore their unique interests, abilities, and strengths. This workbook guides students in identifying potential career paths and next steps that align with who they are.
YouScience Results Walkthrough
Students can explore their YouScience results with videos, interactive demos, and step-by-step instructions.
Powered by INFOhio, Open Space offers educators access to resources, tools, and lessons that support career exploration, investigation, and planning. Resources help students develop career awareness, soft skills needed in careers, and plans for post high-school.
Junior Achievement offers this online learning academy to help students develop essential workplace skills. Information divided into interactive lessons with videos and other tools.
Developed by the Department of War, myfuture.com™ features career, college and military content, allowing users to explore all possibilities and gain insight into each option.
GRADES 11-12:
CAREER PREPARATION
High school students can earn the OMJ Readiness Seal on their diploma by completing the required paperwork. Students must demonstrate in-demand employability skill sets, as evaluated by educators, community members, and employers.
Find Your Career Pathway Toolkit
Developed by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, this toolkit includes statistics, websites for next steps, student testimonials, and other resources to help Ohio students and families discover the best option for them.
Articles from trade and professional publications to support a variety of vocational and technical research needs.
A repository with more than 9,500 premium instructional materials. Use the filter, content area, and select career & technical education to find eBooks about planning for post-secondary education and careers. Resources targeting 11th and 12th graders include resume writing, employability skills, career options, and more.
Available through Schoology, Google Drive, and Canvas to support the transition planning and career advising needs of students. Teacher resources, including getting started guides, curriculum site maps, pacing guides, and sample student transition portfolios, are available to help educators implement a course within general and special education classrooms.
COLLEGE FACULTY
College faculty should familiarize themselves with Ohio’s Learning Standards in their specific content area to understand what students may/not learn before graduating high school. Ohio measures the performance of its schools based on how well students are progressing in gaining the knowledge and skills within these learning standards.
Career-Technical Assurance Guides (CTAGs)
CTAGs are Ohio’s statewide guarantee that students who complete approved career‑technical programs can earn equivalent college credit at any public college or university. CTAGs are certain competencies taught in a career-tech program that have been vetted by the state and aligned with existing college courses. When a student arrives with a verified CTAG, the institution awards the mapped credit just as it would for any other statewide transfer guarantee.
Lightcast data provide insights on the changes of expected skills per job postings from May 2025-May 2026. Data reflect postings available on specific job boards (e.g., Indeed, OhioMeansJobs, etc.) for the 17-county Northwest Ohio region.
Lightcast searches dozens of job postings to provide helpful insights on information contained within the job descriptions. Data offer insight into expected skills, required credentials, growth of specific skills, etc. Linked file details job postings from May 2025-May 2026 for the 17-county Northwest Ohio region.
Career Cluster Resource Center
