More than 2,000 9th grade students from schools throughout Berrien County will be at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center next Friday for Career Pathway Day 2025, hosted by Berrien RESA, Michigan Works, and Lake Michigan College.
RESA Assistant Superintendent Chris Machiniak tells us employers representing Michigan’s 6 Career Pathways will be set up with displays for the students to check out.
“We walk every ninth grade student in the county through the Mendel Center, and they experience hands-on activities for each of the six career sectors,” Machiniak said. “So, really getting into those students, being able to see what that local industry looks like.”
Those career pathways are Arts and Communication; Business; Engineering, Manufacturing, and Industrial Technology; Health Sciences; Human Services; and Natural Resources and Agriscience.
Machiniak says exposing students as young as the ninth grade to the industries that thrive within their own community can help shape the course of their educational careers.
“We hear a lot of, ‘Hey, I didn’t know that was available. I didn’t know that happened in Berrien County. I didn’t know those CTE courses were available that I could take advantage of.'”
Machiniak says the employers also benefit by inspiring a new generation to enter their field. Some of the employers even get competitive with their hands-on activities as they seek to wow the students and attract them to their booths. For example, the event might feature virtual welding, robotics programming, or veterinarians showing off animals.
Participating employers this year will include:
Abonmarche Consultants
Army National Guard
Beacon Health Systems
Berrien County Conservation District
Berrien County Parks Love Creek Nature Center
Berrien County Sheriff’s Department
Berrien RESA Mental Health Team
Bloom Sluggett, PC/South Haven City Attorney
Bonnell Aluminum
C&S Machine
Corewell Health Clinical Education
Corewell Health Lakeland
Edgewater Automation
Flowers Early Learning
Foxtrot Flight Training, LLC
Gaishin Manufacturing, LLC
GreenMark Equipment
JR Automation
Krasl Art Center
Lake Michigan College Commercial Driver’s License Semitruck Program
Lindberg/MPH
Lounsbury Excavating
M-DOT
Maximum Mold
MI Works!/ Youth Solutions
Michigan State Police
Mid West Family Marketing & Media
Mid-West Family Broadcasting
Midwest Class & Mirror
Nova
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South Bend Electrical JATC
Stonehouse Nursery
United Federal Credit Union
Waterstreet Glassworks
Weldstar
YMCA Greater Michiana at Northside Child Development.Center
