ROP counselor roadshow showcases career pathways and industry certifications at Colton High School

A staff member, a program representative, said the Regional Occupational Program's counselor roadshow visited Colton High School in late fall to give counselors, site administrators, district administrators and school board members first-hand exposure to career pathways and industry-level training.

"What's great about the counselor roadshow is you'll see the counselors from each school present in those visits, but you'll also see some, site administrators from the school site. You'll see some district administrators. You'll see school board members," the staff member said. "So while there's a lot of talk around kids going to college, that may not be the case for all students. And so we try to give students exposure to different career opportunities."

The program representative said ROP pathways aim to produce credentials students can use on entering the workforce. "And when they finish 1 of our courses, our pathways, they leave with industry level certification. So if they wanted to, they can go straight into a job," the staff member said.

Program staff described the roadshow as a way to let adults see students engaged in hands-on learning before counselors advise students on course selection in the spring. "The counselor roadshow in particular is important because we bring our counselors in very strategically, late fall because in the spring they'll be sitting down with students and looking at course options," the staff member said. "And sometimes when you you know you're gonna take English, you know you're gonna take math, but what do I look at for electives? And so we want the counselors who are helping them make those decisions to have first hand knowledge of what goes on in our courses."

Students who took part described practical, skills-based instruction and certification outcomes. A student in the medical pathway at Colton High School said, "my experience so far has been incredible. I have obtained so many certifications. It's just been an overall, like, amazing experience." Another student who joined welding said hands-on work made learning meaningful and described welding as calming: "It's really, personally, it's kind of like a zen for me. Like, you could kind of meditate and you just focus on what you're doing. You're kind of really in the moment."

Staff emphasized the variety of hands-on activities visitors observe during roadshow visits, from automotive wrench training to welding demonstrations. "When they actually see the students interacting with each other, hands on activity, whether it be training a wrench on a car or welding 2 pieces of metal together, those hands on activities really make the learning meaningful," the staff member said.

Students also noted immediate credentialing after course completion. "It has helped me in so many ways. I was able to take my state test. I got state certified. I could start working now. And it's just been it's it was fantastic to see, like, such a positive outcome from an amazing organization such as ROP," a student said.

The program representative and students framed the roadshow as a tool for improving counselors' knowledge so they can better advise students on electives and career-path options during spring course planning. No formal board actions or votes on the roadshow were recorded in the provided transcript.

Looking ahead, program staff said counselors who attend the roadshow will use their first-hand observations during spring advising sessions, helping students consider career-technical options alongside college pathways.