Anderson High School Students Explore Career Opportunities at City Hall

Career English students at Anderson High School recently visited Cincinnati City Hall to engage with leaders and representatives of the city’s more than 30 departments. The experience was part of the city’s Career Pathways Initiative program, which encourages students to consider careers in civil service, and was made possible through the FHSD Community Partnership Program. Students applied skills they have gained from their English class to open up potential career opportunities with the representatives they met during their visit. 

Students engaged with the city’s Human Resources Department, discussing the many pathways they could take in civil service and how they can get started. During the visit, students also heard from city leaders like Mayor Aftab Pureval, city councilman Scotty Johnson, City Manager Sheryl Long and two Assistant City Managers. While giving insight into their professions and their unique career paths, city leaders offered advice on getting started in the workforce, developing critical employability skills and being adaptable. Students also heard from a career panel of employees who work for the City of Cincinnati about their career paths and the important skills they have acquired. 

“The professionals who participated in the program were very encouraging of our students,” said FHSD Workforce Development Specialist Melanie Hartong. “They emphasized many of the same skills we hope to develop with students, such as critical thinking, adaptability and communication.”

The Anderson students who attended the field trip are seniors in Mr. Michael Newton’s Career English class. This is the second year Career English is being offered as a course for seniors at Anderson High School. It is NCAA-approved and focuses on business writing style and purpose, as opposed to traditional academic writing targets. In addition to writing styles, the course also pairs literary analysis with workplace issues, from ethics to emotional intelligence. Students are required to complete a job-shadow experience each semester of the year-long course, allowing them to explore career paths and skills needed to compete in the job market.

“Our students learned at City Hall the importance of a number of skills, including English language grammar skills, analytical skills and communication skills, and how those matter in gaining a job,” said Mr. Newton. 

Over the course of their visit to City Hall, students expressed their interests in a variety of career fields. Their passions ranged from health care and education to the police and fire academy. The Career Pathways Initiative program that guided the field trip not only provided students with resources and encouragement to get started in the workforce, but also reminded them that career opportunities just as diverse as their own interests lie within the City of Cincinnati. 

The FHSD Community Partnership Program is working with Turpin High School to bring a similar opportunity to students in the spring of 2025.