At the October 12 meeting, Superintendent Ed Ewers provided an overview of progress at Penta Career Center.
He noted a hallmark of the district’s success is evident with enrollment numbers which sit at 1,488 students this fall, up from 1,469 last year.
He believes the numbers are of particular note given the online learning in place during the pandemic in a school with programs that require handson training.
Mr. Ewers pointed out that although the district’s overall report grade was a “B” in 2021-22, they did receive A’s in graduation and post program outcomes. In the areas of achievement and career and post-secondary readiness, Penta earned Bs.
The career center met all federal performance indicators for four-year and fiveyear graduation rates, post-program placement, nontraditional program enrollment, work-based learning and technical skill attainment. They also met academic proficiency in English language arts, math and science.
Mr. Ewers said Penta believes in a “solution-oriented approach, providing quality career-tech training aligned to regional in-demand job needs.”
The solution-oriented method is sixfold:
•demonstrating competency through career tech state testing exams;
•earning cost-free college credits;
•earning industry-recognized credentials;
•engaging in relevant work-based learning opportunities; •advancing career tech programs aligned with in-demand jobs, and
•achieving equity to prepare for a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
With regard to testing exams, Penta has shown marked improvement going from 47.8 percent in 2018 to 92.3 percent in 2021. Those earning college credit also has risen from just over 3,000 in 2018 to 4,224 in 2021-22.
Additionally, students are showing improvement in meeting a 12-point industryrecognized credentialing going from 25.1 percent in 2018 to 34.6 percent in 2021.
“They earned a total number of 3,009 industry-recognized credentials in the 2021-22 school year,” the superintendent said.
Penta continues to seek work-based learning opportunities for its students. With their business partners, the district equips students with foundational skills and connects them to work-based learning experiences. The district maintains an ongoing feedback with its partners and evaluates each experience.
Mr. Ewers shared that in the 2021-22 school year, students accrued 645,024 hours of work-based learning and 39.2 percent of students took 250 or more hours. When it comes to aligning the district with in-demand jobs, he pointed out that 97.4 percent of on-campus programs align with employment needs in the area, and Penta continues to work on achieving equity for a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
The superintendent said the school is part of a manufacturing talent pipeline for northwest Ohio and works with RGP Northwest Ohio, Ohio Manufacturers Association and JobsOhio on a pilot project designed to build the manufacturing workforce.
The partners are recruiting students interested in automation and robotics, industrial maintenance, machining and welding among other areas. For more information on the talent pipeline program, contact Jessica Borza, project manager at workforce@ohio mfg.com, or Sara Tracey, managing director of workforce services at stracey@ohiomfg.com.
~Jane Maiolo
